author
Henry Steel Olcott
1832–1907
A Civil War investigator, journalist, and lawyer who later became a leading voice in modern Theosophy, he lived a life that crossed politics, religion, and reform. He is especially remembered as co-founder and first president of the Theosophical Society, and for his public support of Buddhism in Sri Lanka and India.
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, on August 2, 1832, Henry Steel Olcott first built a varied career in the United States as an agricultural writer, journalist, and attorney. During the American Civil War he served as a military investigator, gaining a reputation for examining fraud and corruption, and he later practiced law in New York.
Olcott became internationally known after co-founding the Theosophical Society in 1875 with Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and others. As its first president, he helped shape the society's early mission and traveled widely to promote its ideas. Britannica and other historical sources also note his strong interest in comparative religion and philosophy.
He spent much of his later life in India and Sri Lanka, where he became an important public supporter of Buddhist education and revival. He died in Adyar, Madras (now Chennai), on February 17, 1907, leaving behind a legacy tied both to Theosophy and to nineteenth-century religious reform movements.