Beatrice Irwin

Beatrice Irwin
Born	July 16, 1877 Himalayas
Died	March 20, 1956 San Diego, California, USA

Beatrice Irwin (July 16, 1877 - March 20, 1956) was British Bahá’í who served as travel teacher making extensive international travels to proclaim and teach the Bahá’í Faith across Europe, Africa, and South America and pioneered to Mexico, Brazil, Tunisia, and Mallorca. She achieved prominence in her professional career as an electrical engineer which allowed her to meet with and proclaim the Faith to several prominent figures.

Biography

Irwin was born in the Himalayas into a British family of Irish descent. She moved to England in her youth where she studied at Cheltenham College and Oxford University and she went on to become a member of the Illuminating Engineering Society in England and America and a founding member of the Electrical Association for Women. In her professional career she invented color filter illumination which she installed at the Barcelona International Exposition and at several famous buildings, hotels, and expositions worldwide achieving some level of fame.

In 1911 Irwin moved to Paris, France, for further studies and her time in the city coincided with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's visit. She attended meetings at which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke daily and accepted the Bahá’í Faith and later received a Tablet from Him in 1914. Due to her success in her professional career Irwin was able to speak on the Faith to prominent individuals including a member of the Saudi Royal family, the President of Mexico, Rabindranath Tagore, Chiang Kai-shek of China, and many others. She was also able to give public talks and radio broadcasts across Europe, North Africa, South America, and the Middle East.

Irwin (front, center) with Bahá’ís of Tunis, 1948.

Irwin went on pilgrimage in 1930 and met with Shoghi Effendi and in 1937 she pioneered to Mexico on his advice making her the first pioneer under the Seven Year Plan. In 1941 she pioneered again to Brazil for six months where she worked for the Pan-Pacific Press Association and traveled extensively to teach the Faith across the country. She visited San Francisco in 1945 to assist with a Bahá’í teaching campaign organized to coincide with the first United Nations Conference, and in 1948 she pioneered Tunis, Tunisia, for five months at the request of Shoghi Effendi where she held weekly conferences, assisted with the establishment of a Local Spiritual Assembly, and regularly toured the south of the country.

In 1954 Irwin pioneered again to Spain settling on the island of Mallorca. She lived in the home of a Spanish painter during her time there and the painters wife, Dona Carmen Nieto de Miguel, became the first Bahá’í of the Baleric Islands through Irwin. She later returned to the United States and passed away in San Diego, California, in 1956. Shoghi Effendi conveyed the following message after her passing:

Grieved passing steadfast devoted indefatigable promoter Faith. Reward assured Kingdom. Praying progress soul.