| American Boy Scout | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | New York City, New York | ||
| Country | United States | ||
| Founded | June 1910 | ||
| Defunct | 1920s | ||
| Founder | William Randolph Hearst | ||
| Membership | 17,000 at peak | ||
| Affiliation | Order of World Scouts 1911-1912 | ||
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The American Boy Scout (ABS) was an early American Scouting organization formed by William Randolph Hearst in 1910, following on from the formation of the Scouting movement by Robert Baden-Powell between 1903 and 1907.[note 1]
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In May 1910, Hearst called an organizational meeting to form a new Scouting group. Hearst was aware of the Boy Scouts of America, formed months earlier by rival publisher William D. Boyce but pursued his own vision of Scouting and incorporated the ABS in June 1910.[1]:68[2] Among the objectives of the organization was to prepare boys for the obligations and duties of citizenship.
The ABS claimed to be a military organization, which was in contrast to the non-military BSA. The ABS performed military style drills with rifles and sold war bonds during World War I.
Hearst had conflicts with the ABS directors over the methods of financing and the improper and unauthorized use of his name for the solicitation of money. He resigned in December 1910.[3][4] Hearst also expressed his disdain at fund raisers being allowed to keep 40% of funds raised without his knowledge.[3] Other leaders resigned at the same time Hearst did.
Citing mismanagement by the ABS, the New England Division left the ABS and formed the New England Boy Scouts.[5] The ABS joined the Order of World Scouts in 1911.[6]
In March 1912, an ABS Scout in uniform shot and killed a boy with a rifle after a Scout function.[7] The resulting negative publicity caused the group to practically dissolve by 1913. In 1916, the USBS sought but did not receive a federal charter.
The American Boy Scouts were often confused with the Boy Scouts of America, which sometimes caused problems with fund raising and misattributed publicity. The ABS board of directors voted in October 1913 to change the name of the organization to the United States Boy Scout (USBS),[note 1] primarily to prevent the confusion.[8]
After the BSA received a federal charter in 1916, Chief Scout Executive James E. West pressed the USBS to change its name without success. The BSA filed a lawsuit for an injunction order to restrain the USBS from using the term "Boy Scout" in 1917.[9] It was also alleged that USBS had used the names of prominent men, such as Elbert Henry Gary, in their fund raising efforts and that donations were made to the USBS in the mistaken belief that they were the BSA.[10]
The BSA was represented by Charles Evans Hughes, former Governor of New York and former U.S. Supreme Court Justice. Testimony included an affidavit from Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the international Scout Movement, on the origins of the Scout Movement.[11]:581 In 1919, the New York Supreme Court, a trial court, granted the BSA an injunction and the USBS was barred from using the terms "Boy Scout", "Scout", "Scouting", or any variation thereof.[12][13][14]
The organization changed its name and carried on for a few more years as the American Cadets and the U.S. Junior Military Forces before finally dissolving.[15]:157
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