Research topic: Henry Steel Olcott

Henry Steel Olcott 1832-1907, American religious leader and author, cofounder of Theosophist movement, b. Orange, N.J. After working as an agricultural scientist and a lawyer, he and Helena Blavatsky founded the Theosophical Society (1875) in New York City. In 1878, they moved the society to Adyar near Madras (now Chennai), India. Theosophy, a mixture of Eastern religion and Western occultism, has been influential in popularizing Asian philosophy in the West. Bibliography: See the autobiographical Old Autumn Leaves (6 vol., 1972-75). His writings include Buddhist Catechism (1881) and Theosophy,... Read more