The Theosophical Society in America (Hargrove branch) was an organization that developed from the

Theosophical Society The Theosophical Society, founded in 1875, is a worldwide body with the aim to advance the ideas of Theosophy in continuation of previous Theosophists, especially the Greek and Alexandrian Neo-Platonic philosophers dating back to 3rd century CE ...

in America. In 1895 a division occurred between the

Theosophical Society Adyar The Theosophy Society was founded by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and others in 1875. The designation 'Adyar' is sometimes added to the name to make it clear that this is the Theosophical Society headquartered there, after the American section ...

and the

Theosophical Society Pasadena The Theosophical Society (Pasadena) is a branch of Theosophy based in Pasadena, California. It claims to be the successor organization to the original Theosophical Society founded by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and others in 1875 in New York City. ...

, leading

William Quan Judge William Quan Judge (April 13, 1851 – March 21, 1896) was an Irish-American mystic, esotericist, and occultist, and one of the founders of the original Theosophical Society. He was born in Dublin, Ireland. When he was 13 years old, his famil ...

to form a separate organization distinct from the organization based in Adyar, headed by Annie Besant. After the death of

Judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

, Ernest Temple Hargrove, who was Judge's secretary at the time, found evidence that Judge had intended a successor. In 1898,

Katherine Tingley Katherine Augusta Westcott Tingley (July 6, 1847 - July 11, 1929) was a social worker and prominent Theosophist. She led the American Section of the Theosophical Society after W. Q. Judge. She founded and led the Theosophical community Lomaland ...

was elected president of the TSA, with Hargrove's initial support. Hargrove later came to disagree with Tingley, and later broke away with roughly 200 other members to form the Theosophical Society in America. A.H. Spencer and later Hargrove became president of this new organization. The society was oriented towards W.Q. Judge's principles. Their headquarters were located in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, while

Tingley Tingley is a suburban village in the City of Leeds in West Yorkshire, Northern England, forming part of the parish of West Ardsley. Tingley forms part of the Heavy Woollen District. It is situated between the cities of Leeds and Wakefield. ...

relocated hers to

Lomaland Lomaland was a Theosophical community located in Point Loma in San Diego, California from 1900 to 1942. Theosophical Society leader Katherine Tingley founded it in 1900 as a school, cultural center, and residential facility for her followers. T ...

Point Loma, California Point Loma (Spanish: ''Punta de la Loma'', meaning "Hill Point"; Kumeyaay: ''Amat Kunyily'', meaning "Black Earth") is a seaside community within the city of San Diego, California. Geographically it is a hilly peninsula that is bordered on the ...

. In 1906 or 1907 this branch including Hargrove gave

Robert Crosbie Robert Crosbie (10 January 1849 – 25 June 1919) was a theosophist and founder of the United Lodge of Theosophists (ULT). Crosbie was born in Montreal, Lower Canada. In 1902, he moved to Lomaland, Point Loma, California where he helped in ...

a deed of foundation to found a lodge in Los Angeles. Hargrove can thus be seen as an obstetrician to the

United Lodge of Theosophists The United Lodge of Theosophists or ULT is an informal and wholly voluntary association of ''students'' of Theosophy. It was founded in 1909, mainly through the efforts of Robert Crosbie. The first ''parent lodge'' of the ULT was started in Los An ...

. The organization was renamed "The Theosophical Society" in 1908. Original members of this branch included: Dr.

Archibald Keightley Archibald Keightley (19 April 1859 – 18 November 1930) was an English physician and Theosophist. Biography Keightley was educated at Pembroke College, Cambridge. In 1886, he obtained a degree from the Royal College of Physicians in London. H ...

and his wife Julia van der Planck (a.k.a. "Jasper Niemand"); Noted Sanskritist Charles Johnston and his wife Vera Jelihovsky Johnston, a niece of

Helena Petrovna Blavatsky Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, uk, Олена Петрівна Блаватська, Olena Petrivna Blavatska (; – 8 May 1891), often known as Madame Blavatsky, was a Russian mystic and author who co-founded the Theosophical Society in 1875 ...

; Clement Acton Griscom Jr. and his wife Genevieve Ludlow Griscom (a.k.a. "Cavé"); Henry Bedinger Mitchell and his brother John F. B. Mitchell. A number of branches of the organization existed throughout North America, as well as several in the UK, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, and Venezuela. The publishing arm of this branch, known as The Quarterly Book Department published a great deal of theosophical literature until the late 1930s. Their main publication was the journal ''The Theosophical Quarterly'' (1903–1938). The last issue announces the cessation of publication and the onset of a period of "indrawal" of the society. Hargrove died in on April 8, 1939. The last annual convention of this branch was held in New York in 1943, where the members agreed to formally disband and entered into "indrawal".

External links

TS 1875-1925
(681f.)

(p. 279) Theosophical Society {{spirituality-stub