Sarah Josephine Meredith Langstaff
Canadian-American socialite
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Sarah Josephine Meredith Langstaff (April 14, 1849 – June 20, 1933) was a Canadian-American socialite. She was the founder and president of the Daughters of the British Empire and an honorary president of the Needlework Guild of America.
Sarah Josephine Meredith Langstaff | |
|---|---|
Langstaff in coronation dress in 1911 | |
| President of the Daughters of the British Empire | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 14, 1849 |
| Died | June 20, 1933 (aged 84) Stony Brook, New York, U.S. |
| Spouse | John Elliot Langstaff |
| Children | 2 |
| Occupation | socialite |
Early life
Langstaff was born on April 14, 1849, to English parents, in St. Catherines, Ontario.[1] She was adopted as an infant by Bridgewater Meredith, a graduate of Magdalen College, Oxford, and his American wife, Caroline Arnold.[1] She grew up in New Jersey, where her adopted mother was from.[1]
Society and civic activities
Langstaff was a socialite who was active in New York society and charitable events.[2] Inspired by the Canadian organization Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire, Langstaff established a service organization in New York for women of British heritage in 1909 called the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire in the United States of America.[3] She established the first chapter, "King Edward VII", on March 15, 1909.[3][1] In 1911, she received a special royal invitation to attend the Coronation of George V and Mary. [4] Langstaff was the only American to receive an invitation to the coronation by royal intimation.[4]
Langstaff was an honorary president of the Needlework Guild of America.[5]
Personal life and death
In 1883, she married John Elliot Langstaff, a Canadian physician, and settled in New York City.[6] They had two sons, J. Brett Langstaff and B. Meredith Langstaff.[6] She was the grandmother of military officer and singer John Langstaff.
She died in 1933.[5]