Theosophical Society in America (Hargrove)

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

In 1895 a division occurred between the Theosophical Society Adyar and the Theosophical Society in America, leading William Quan Judge to form a separate organization distinct from the organization mased in Adyar, headed by Annie Besant. After William Quan Judge's death, Ernest Temple Hargrove, who was Judge's secretary at the time, found evidence that Judge had intended a successor. In 1898, Katherine Tingley was elected president of the TS, with Hargrove's initial support. Hargrove later came to disagree with Tingley, and in 1898 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 WQ Judge's principles, and their headquarters were located in New York City. In 1906 or 1907 the Theosophical Society in America (Hargrove) gave Robert Crosbie 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 organization was renamed "The Theosophical Society" in 1908.

Original members of this branch included: Dr. Archibald Keightley and his wife Julia Ver Planck Keightley (a.k.a. "Jasper Niemand"); Noted Sanskritist Charles Johnston and his wife Vera Jelihovsky Johnston, a niece of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky; Clement Acton Griscom Jr. and his wife Genevieve Lludlow 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 up until the late 1930's. their main publication was the journal Theosophical Quarterly Magazine (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 8th 1939. The last annual convention of this branch was held in New York in 1943, where the members agreed to formally disband and enter into "indrawal".

[edit] External links

• TS 1875-1925 (681f.)
• TS 1875-1950 (p. 279)