James A. Long

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James A. Long (born August 27, 1898 in York , Pennsylvania , USA ; † July 19, 1971 in California , USA ) was an American theosophist and president of the Theosophical Society Pasadena (TG-Pasadena).

Life

Long was a businessman and became a consultant in the Quartermaster Corps in Washington during World War II . This department of the United States Army was responsible for part of the replenishment deliveries and the associated logistics . After the war he worked for the US State Department and in 1946 was an advisor to the US delegation to the United Nations .

The theosophist

Election to president

In 1935 Long joined the Theosophical Society Point Loma (TGPL), as the TG-Pasadena was called at that time. There he became Secretary General of the American Section of the TGPL in 1939 under Arthur L. Conger . Conger later became president of the entire organization and even before his death on February 19, 1951, there was a power struggle to succeed Conger. This battle for leadership was fought between William Hartley and James Long . Although Hartley achieved a relative majority in the vote , the election ended with the victory of Long, who now assumed the presidency of TG-Pasadena, the company had since moved to Pasadena . The exact course of the election and the reasons for this decision have not yet been clarified.

Another split

As a result of this controversial election there was, once again, a split in the TG-Pasadena due to the resignation of the Dutch section under its president DJP Kok in 1951. The Dutch section did not recognize Long's (controversial) election, but saw William Hartley as the one rightful president. From this point on, all decisions and decisions of the TG-Pasadena under Long were not ratified. This was de facto tantamount to a resignation of the Dutch section, and that's where it stayed. As if that weren't enough, the Dutch example was followed by other TG Pasadena lodges all over the world, thereby widening the break and assuming serious proportions. To distinguish themselves from the TG-Pasadena, the (de facto) resigned lodges called themselves Theosophical Society Point Loma-Covina . In doing so, they signal that , in contrast to Pasadena, they saw themselves as the rightful successors of the line Blavatsky - Judge - Tingley - Purucker - Conger ( Ernest T. Hargrove , who was briefly incumbent between Judge and Tingley , is generally popularly suppressed). The name Point Loma-Covina was used because Tingley, Purucker and Conger had their headquarters in the localities of Point Loma and later in Covina . This separation, TG-Pasadena and TG-Point Loma-Covina, still exists today.

Merits

His efforts to expand the existing theosophical library , the Theosophical Library Center , should be emphasized , which, however, could only be opened after his death in 1972. In 1951 he founded the theosophical magazine Sunrise , which exists to this day (2007) and which u. a. is also translated into German.

Death and succession

James Long died on July 19, 1971 in California , the successor at TG-Pasadena was his longtime secretary Grace F. Knoche.

Works

  • Consciousness without limits, the human being and the laws of life . Arkana-Verlag, Heidelberg 1971, ISBN 3-920042-05-0 . ( PDF; 900 kB )
  • Articles in the magazine Sunrise online [1]

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Long, James A.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American theosophist
DATE OF BIRTH August 27, 1898
PLACE OF BIRTH York , Pennsylvania , USA
DATE OF DEATH July 19, 1971
Place of death California , USA