Juliette Gordon Low died of breast cancer at her home in Savannah, Georgia, on January 17, 1927, ending 15 years of Girl Scout leadership.
Juliette Gordon Low died on January 17, 1927, at her home in Savannah, Georgia, following a long and largely private battle with breast cancer. She had continued her advocacy for Girl Scouting almost until the very end of her life, characteristically keeping the severity of her illness hidden from colleagues and friends so as not to distract from the organization's work.
She was buried in her Girl Scout uniform at Laurel Grove Cemetery in Savannah, with a note in her pocket reading, 'You are not only the last Girl Scout of the first troop, but the first Girl Scout of the last troop,' a telegram sent by the organization's national leadership honoring her singular role as founder.
Her death marked the end of fifteen years of direct leadership and advocacy, spanning the founding of the first troop in 1912, incorporation in 1915, her presidency from 1915 to 1920, and continued international engagement thereafter. By the time of her death, the organization she founded had grown from eighteen girls in Savannah to tens of thousands of members nationwide, and it would go on to become one of the largest voluntary organizations for girls and women in world history. Her legacy is honored today through the Juliette Gordon Low World Friendship Fund, her preserved birthplace museum in Savannah (a National Historic Landmark), and continued global Girl Guide/Scout membership exceeding ten million.