The society was founded in the United States on March 15, 1909, as the Imperial Order, Daughters of the Empire in the U.S.A., and became the National Society, Daughters of the British Empire in the U.S.A. in 1920. The National Society is incorporated in the State of Delaware.

The Society is affiliated with the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire in Canada (I.O.D.E.); the Victoria League in London, England; and the General Federation of Women’s Clubs in the United States.

The Honorary President of the DBE is the British Ambassador to the U.S. or the Ambassador's wife.

In the Eastern District of the DBE (comprised of Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia) state societies focus on supporting Victoria Home Cares, a grant-making charity that supports seniors in all of the seven states.