Beard, Daniel

Beard, (Daniel Carter) “Uncle Dan” (1850–1941) illustrator, youth leader; born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was a surveyor (1874–78) before he became an illustrator. He wrote What to Do and How to Do It: The American Boy's Handy Book (1882), the first of his 16 books on handicrafts. He was praised by Mark Twain for his illustrations in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889). To promote magazines that he edited, he organized the Sons of Daniel Boone (1905) and the Boy Pioneers of America (1909), precursors of the Boy Scouts. When the Boy Scouts of America was formed (1910), he designed the Scout hat, neckerchief and shirt. He wrote and illustrated many articles for the Scout's magazine, Boys' Life. As National Scout Commissioner (1910–41), he argued for voluntary leadership within the Scouts and became known as "Uncle Dan" to a generation of American boys.