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Henry Steel Olcott
1832–1907
A lawyer, journalist, and reformer who moved from post–Civil War America into the spiritual currents of the 19th century, he became a cofounder of the Theosophical Society and an influential advocate for Buddhist education in Sri Lanka. His life connects American reform, global religion, and the search for new ideas in a rapidly changing world.
2 Audiobooks
The Life of Buddha and Its Lessons
by Henry Steel Olcott
The Buddhist Catechism
by Henry Steel Olcott
About the author
Born in Orange, New Jersey, in 1832, Henry Steel Olcott worked as a lawyer and journalist and also served during the American Civil War. He later became widely known as a cofounder of the Theosophical Society, formed in New York in 1875 with Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and others.
Olcott spent much of his later life in Asia, especially in India and Sri Lanka, where he promoted Theosophy and became closely involved with Buddhist revival and education. He is especially remembered in Sri Lankan history for supporting Buddhist schools and public organizing at a time of intense religious and cultural change.
He died in 1907, but his legacy reaches across several worlds at once: American reform culture, modern esoteric religion, and Buddhist activism. For listeners interested in unusual lives, his story offers a vivid look at how one 19th-century figure helped shape spiritual movements far beyond his own country.