Arthur L. Conger

Arthur Latham Conger Jr. (Born January 30, 1872 in Akron , Ohio ; † February 22, 1951 in Pasadena , California ) was an American soldier , colonel , military attaché , theosophist and President of the Theosophical Society in America (TGinA).

Live and act

Childhood and youth

Conger was born on January 30, 1872 in Akron as the second of four children of Arthur Latham Conger sen. and Emily Bronson Conger was born. The father was politically active and director of several companies, the family very wealthy. In 1890 he began to study at Harvard University and graduated there in 1892. At the urging of his parents, he attended a theology seminar in Cambridge from 1894 to become a priest at the Episcopal Church . The responsible bishop found out about Conger's activities in the Theosophical Society (TG) and gave him the ultimatum "Church or Theosophy". Conger decided on the latter, left the theology seminar at the end of 1895 and went to New York to actively participate in the TG.

First work for theosophy

During his studies at Harvard University he was on June 16, 1892 co-founder of a small theosophical Harvard Lodge, which only existed for a short time and was absorbed into the Cambridge Lodge the following year. In 1894 he was accepted into the esoteric section by William Quan Judge . After breaking off the theology seminar and arriving at the TG in New York, he was quickly entrusted with important tasks, in the spring of 1896 secretary to Katherine Tingley and on April 30, 1897 secretary in the International Brotherhood League ((IBL) = International Brotherhood League). When his parents stopped any financial support in April 1898 because they were suspicious of theosophy, Conger had to give up his free job with the TG and went to the military.

The military

Joining the US Army was not a heartfelt desire for Conger, but arose from the need to earn money for a living. Joined in April 1898, after a short basic training he immediately took part in the Spanish-American War . He then took up the officer career and was in the First World War , in the staff of General John Pershings , head of the intelligence department. In 1920 he graduated from Army War College and reached the rank of Colonel on April 21, 1921 . In 1924 he became a military attaché at the US embassy in Berlin and in 1925 also in Bern . On October 31, 1928, he submitted his resignation due to health problems and withdrew from active service.

His US awards included a .: Silver Star Citation for bravery and Distinguished Service Medal for outstanding service in the military. The French awards were: Legion d'Honneur and Croix de guerre .

family

On February 8, 1902, he married Margaret Loring Guild , whom he had met at the TG in New York, who died in June 1945. Presumably after 1947 he entered into a second marriage with Martha Franklin . It is unclear whether the family had children.

The theosophist

In the service of theosophy

In December 1922 there was renewed contact with theosophy through a meeting with Katherine Tingley . This was followed by visits and lectures by congers on Lomaland , the then headquarters of the Theosophical Society in America (TGinA), and at various TGinA lodges in the USA as well as several contacts in 1926 during Tingley's trip to Europe. Following a request from Gottfried de Purucker , he applied for the office of President of the American Section of the TGinA and was also elected on March 1, 1932. But in January 1933 he had to give up this post again, his Parkinson's disease had entered an acute stage. After an improvement in his clinical picture, he was re-elected as President of the American Section on September 23, 1939.

President of the TGinA

Purucker’s death as president of the TGinA on September 27, 1942, was followed by an interim leadership of about 3 years by a management committee and finally, on October 22, 1945, Conger was elected as the new president of the TGinA . This although he was dependent on a wheelchair due to his illness . Under the direction of Purucker, the TGinA had already moved from Lomaland to Covina in 1942 . Purucker had left him finances in order and, above all, a debt-free organization that had recently been recognized by the California state as a charitable and tax-exempt organization. Thanks to this easy legacy, Conger was able to drive the expansion of the TGinA from Covina and greatly enlarge the company by sending speakers, holding congresses and expanding publications.

During his presidency, especially after the election, there was criticism and disagreement between Conger and several members. An amicable settlement could not be reached and this resulted in leading theosophists being fired and others voluntarily leaving society. This probably restored peace, but overall the TGinA emerged from this crisis weakened. In 1951 he commissioned James A. Long , his later successor, to close the esoteric sections of the TGinA around the world, since the time of secret knowledge was over and theosophy had to be brought to the people.

Move to Pasadena

Despite being exempt from taxes and debts, Conger could not financially hold the approximately 6 hectare property in Covina, after all he had to sell it and look for a cheaper job. In 1950 and 1951 the move to Pasadena and Altadena took place in several stages , to 3 separate, smaller domiciles, where the TGinA is still located today (2005). The Theosophical University, founded by Katherine Tingley in Lomaland in 1919 , remained in Covina because the necessary funds for a continuation in Pasadena were lacking. Students were still accepted until 1950, when it was closed in the mid-1950s. According to the respective headquarters of the headquarters, it was customary to name the Theosophical Society (TG) there afterwards. So the TG was called first TG-Point Loma (after the seat of Lomaland in Point Loma ), then TG-Covina and since then the Theosophical Society Pasadena .

Death and succession

On February 19, 1951, Conger suffered a heart attack , fell into a coma and died 3 days later, on February 22, 1951, in Pasadena. An ugly power struggle for his successor began during his lifetime, and James A. Long won it, but a lot of porcelain was smashed in the process.

Works

• President Lincoln as was a statesman . The State historical society of Wisconsin, Madison 1916
• The military education of Grant as general . Menasha 1921
• The rise of US Grant . The Century Co., New York 1931

as editor:

• Judge, William Quan : Practical occultism, from the private letters of William Q. Judge . Theosophical University Press, Pasadena 1951
• Purucker, Gottfried de : The dialogues of G. de Purucker, report of sessions . Theosophical University Press, Covina 1948

literature

• Alan E. Donant: Colonel Arthur L. Conger. Theosophical University Press, Pasadena 1999, ISBN 1-55700139-1 .
• Fritz T. Epstein: Between Compiégne and Versailles. Secret American Military Diplomacy in the Armistice Period 1918-19, The Role of Colonel Arthur L. Conger. In: Vierteljahrshefte für Zeitgeschichte. 1955, pp. 412-445 ( PDF ).
• Aileen Brittain Shurlock: Biographical sketch of Colonel Arthur Latham Conger, fifth leader of the Theosophical Society, Point Loma-Covina, California. Oakland 1955, OCLC 11555851 .

Web links

• Brief biography and picture
• Alan E. Donant's biography (PDF document, 256 kB)
• Book review of Donant's biography (PDF document, 500 kB)
• Biography Donant with some pictures (English)
• Criticism of Donant's Biography (English)