Evangeline Booth
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The Right Honourable General Evangeline Booth OF |
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Booth in 1907
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| 4th General of The Salvation Army | |
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In office 1934–1939 |
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| Preceded by | Edward Higgins |
| Succeeded by | George Carpenter |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
December 25, 1865 South Hackney, London, England |
| Died | 17 July 1950 (aged 84) Hartsdale, New York, United States |
| Parents |
William Booth Catherine Mumford |
| Religion | Christian |
General Evangeline Cory Booth, OF (December 25, 1865 – July 17, 1950) was a British theologist and the 4th General of The Salvation Army from 1934 to 1939. She was the first woman to hold the post of General.
She was born in South Hackney, London, England, the seventh of eight children born to William Booth and Catherine Mumford, who had earlier in the year founded The Christian Mission, which became the Salvation Army in 1878. Catherine Booth had recently read Uncle Tom's Cabin and wanted to name her baby 'Eva', but William Booth did not like the name and wrote 'Evelyne' on the birth certificate. Years later, while in the United States, Evelyne would be persuaded by Frances Willard, founder of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, to adopt the name 'Evangeline' as being more dignified and more befitting the commander of The Salvation Army in America.
At 15 she was a Sergeant selling the Army's paper The War Cry in the slums of east London. In 1887, at 21 years of age, she became the officer of the corps in Marylebone, where there was very strong opposition to The Salvation Army. Wherever trouble threatened, General Booth’s solution was invariably the same, 'Send Eva!'.
She was appointed as Field Commissioner throughout Great Britain from 1888 to 1891, courageously facing riotous crowds. From 1891 until 1896 she was in charge of Officer Training. When in 1896 an American break-away group led by her brother Ballington Booth and his wife Maud Ballington Booth attempted to tempt American Salvationists away from The Salvation Army and into a rival group called Volunteers of America, General Booth sent Evangeline to New York. When she arrived the doors to Army headquarters on 14th Street had been locked against her. However, "she mounted the fire escape and climbed through a rear window. The dissidents hissed and booed until she literally wrapped herself in an available American flag and challenged: "Hiss that, if you dare." In the stunned silence she played her concertina and sang "Over Jordan without Fearing." Ballington's rebellion was quelled."
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