In 1888 Miss Desha accepted a teaching position in Sitka, Alaska. Several years later, Miss Desha accepted a position in the Lexington public school system and remained there until she took a job as a government clerk in Washington, D.C., in the mid-1880s. When the women were needed to provide an income, Miss Desha and her mother opened a private school in which they taught their friends’ children French, Latin and mathematics. The effects of the Civil War on border-state Kentucky impoverished her family. Miss Desha was well-educated and for a short time studied at what is now the University of Kentucky. She was the granddaughter of Joseph Desha, a private in the Revolutionary War, major general in the War of 1812 and governor of Kentucky in 1825.

She was descended from Katherine Montgomery, a dispatch bearer and wife of Isaac Bledsoe, a colonel in the Continental Army. John Randolph and Mary Bracken Curry Desha. Miss Desha was born on March 8, 1850, in prosperous, antebellum Lexington, Ky. Miss Desha, National Number 4, was a member of Katherine Montgomery Chapter, Washington, D.C. “I am good for any amount of work.” True to her word, this quote from Mary Desha as she first appears in DAR history predicts her energetic commitment to the Society and reveals her faith in the value of hard work for its own sake. View this online slideshow in chronological order or choose individuals from the list below to learn about these accomplished leaders as well as the history of the DAR through highlights of their administrations. Their leadership has allowed the NSDAR to become the largest female lineage society in the country and owner of a city block of historic and iconic buildings in Washington, D.C. While it cannot do justice to the dedication and toil of each President General, it is meant to give a glimpse of the background, character, leadership and accomplishments of those who have worn the wide blue sash as they represented and led the more than 930,000 who have been members over the past 123 years. The publication, The Wide Blue Sash, features profiles on all of the DAR Presidents General from 1890-2013. Each President General carries forward her vision and goals for the National Society while managing and overseeing Society policy as well as initiating special National projects. The President General serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the National Society and holds one three-year term in office. The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution is led by the President General who is elected to the highest office of the Society by the DAR Continental Congress.

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