Theosophy and Western Buddhism revival

Henry Steel Olcott

1832 – 1907

Henry Steel Olcott was an American journalist, lawyer, and former Union Army colonel who co-founded the Theosophical Society in New York in 1875 alongside Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, serving as the Society's first president until his death and providing the organizational infrastructure that allowed Theosophy to become a global institution. He was the first prominent Westerner of European descent to formally convert to Buddhism, and his work in Sri Lanka — including the revival of Buddhist education and the design of the Buddhist flag still used worldwide — helped catalyze a major Buddhist revival across South and Southeast Asia. His leadership positioned Theosophy as the principal bridge between Western esotericism and Asian religious traditions in the late nineteenth century.