Adele Woodhouse Erb Sullivan

Adele Woodhouse Erb Sullivan (May 20, 1907 – April 22, 1999) served as the 26th President General of the Daughters of the American Revolution and noted for her 1968 visit to Vietnam with General William C. Westmoreland.

Adele Woodhouse was born on 20 May 1907 in Trenton, New Jersey, to William Woodhouse and Adaline Dearth. She attended Rider College. Adele first married Harold E. Erb, who died in 1957, and later married William H. Sullivan Jr., who died in 1985. She had one daughter, Nancy Erb, and two granddaughters. She died on 22 April 1999 in Wilton, Connecticut, and is buried at Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum.

Sullivan joined the DAR in 1930 as a Junior Member with the Matinecock Chapter of Flushing, Queens and later transferred to the Harvey Birch Chapter. Her Patriot Ancestor was Israel Matson of Philadelphia. She served as Regent of the Matinecock Chapter (1941–1944), was State, and later National, Chairman of the Radio Committee, New York Vice Regent (1950–1953), New York State Regent (1953–1956), and Recording Secretary General (1956-1959). She ran against Alice B. Haig for the position of President General.

Sullivan's administration was known as the Diamond Jubilee Administration, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the DAR. One of Sullivan's goals was to increase DAR membership from 185,000 to 200,000 by the end of the anniversary. "Winkie" the owl was the symbol of the administration. The highlight of her administration was her visit to Vietnam in 1968.

The executive board for the Sullivan administration was:

Although the DAR declares itself to be a non-political organization, they have long spoken out publicly regarding political issues under the guise of Patriotism. This trend continued during the Sullivan administration. Sullivan herself personally advocated on topics such as Vietnam and peace protests, immigration quotas, and disarmament. When asked about black membership in the DAR, Sullivan answered indirectly; she replied that she did not know if the DAR had any black members (the DAR does not record the race of members on applications), but stated that "with all the intermarriage in the United States, we undoubtedly have members or women eligible for membership who ancestry includes someone of the Negro race."

McCall's magazine published a feature titled “If I Were President” in their January 1968 edition. Sullivan was one of sixteen women who "made a distinct and varied contribution to our national life" what they would do as the first female President of the United States. Other women interviewed included Margaret Chase Smith, Betty Friedan, Leontyne Price, and Martha Griffiths. Sullivan spoke in favor of officially declaring war in Vietnam War, a strong national defense, and a stronger role of "the church" in the United States. Sullivan was very much aware of the power of the media and the impact that it could have on the DAR. She was often interviewed and appeared on television shows, such as The David Susskind Show and reported that she preferred live events over recorded ones which were "too easy to edit."

Highlights of the Sullivan administration: