Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore (/ˈsɪdmɔːr/)[1] (1856–1928) was an American journalist and travel writer who authored books on Alaska, Japan, Java, China and India.

Her legacy includes serving as the first woman on the board of the National Geographic Society[2] and introducing the idea of planting Japanese cherry trees in Washington, D.C., a vision that became a reality in 1912.

The future writer Eliza spent several years of her early childhood in Madison, before moving to Washington, D.C., with her mother and brother during the Civil War.

[5] The professional position of her brother, George Hawthorne Scidmore, a career diplomat who served in the Far East from 1884 to 1922, prompted Eliza's frequent travels to Japan, beginning in 1885.

Today, more than a million visitors a year flock to Washington to enjoy the sakura surrounding the Tidal Basin, the Jefferson Memorial, and in other areas of the capital, particularly during the National Cherry Blossom Festival.

Today the National Geographic Society gives an Eliza Scidmore Award annually to a photographer "whose work combines scientific rigor and immersive storytelling to advance our understanding of the environmental and conservation issues we face".

An article she published in The Century Magazine in September 1893, titled "Our New National Forest Reserves," described the country's new wilderness preservation policy and its importance for the public good.