Carroll A. Edson

Carroll A. Edson
Carroll A. Edson in 1915 as Treasure Island Associate Director in charge of Commissary.
Born	December 29, 1891 Worcester, Massachusetts
Died	October 15, 1986(1986-10-15) (aged 94) Syracuse, New York
Spouse(s)	Hazel Howard Partridge
Children	Stuart, Lucile, Virginia, David
Parent(s)	Andrew Edson and Cynthia Paine

Colonel Carroll Andrew Edson (December 29, 1891 – October 15, 1986) was an influential leader in the Boy Scouts of America movement. He helped to found the Order of the Arrow (OA) along with E. Urner Goodman. The OA is an official program of the Boy Scouts of America designed to recognize Scouts and Scouters for their service, and to aid in the retention of older boys in the Scouting program.

Edson was born on December 29, 1891. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1914 and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa Society. He later received his master's degree from Columbia University in 1931.

Edson joined the military and attended the first officer's training camp at Plattsburgh, New York in 1917. During World War I he served as a captain in the United States Army with the 77th Division. In 1931 he attended Infantry School at Fort Benning and then in 1936 he attended the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth. He was promoted to colonel in 1938 and recalled to active duty as an instructor at the Command and General Staff School in 1940. He served in both World Wars and was a member of The Retired Officers Association.

Edson was hired by the Philadelphia Council of the Boy Scouts of America in 1915 as a Field Commissioner. He was then appointed as the Assistant Camp Director in charge of commissary at Treasure Island Scout Reservation. There he worked with the Camp Director E. Urner Goodman to create an experimental camp fraternity program called the Wimachtendienk, later known as the Order of the Arrow. After attending a speech by Ernest Thompson Seton on his Woodcraft Indians program, Edson urged that American Indian lore be incorporated into the fraternity. This was to make the organization more appealing to youth. Edson himself researched the history and language of the Lenni Lenape (the Delaware Indians) in order to make the names and culture of the program authentic. He and Goodman conducted the original rituals and the speaking roles at the public campfire were primarily done by Edson. He was the second to receive the Vigil Honor and kept his Vigil in 1917.