David E. de Lara

David Etienne de Lara was present at the meeting that led to the founding of the Theosophical Society on September 8, 1875.

Personal life

Details of de Lara's personal life have long been elusive. Historian Josephine Ransom described him as:

A learned old gentleman of Portuguese-Hebrew extraction. H. P. B. and H. S. O. had great affection for him. He seems to have remained a member till he died.

A modern historian, Boaz Huss, described de Lara as "an Anglo-Jewish scholar and Freemason."

Lectures and articles

De Lara was associated with John Storer Cobb, another TS founder and editor of the journal New Era.

In June 1873 appeared the first part of a fifteen-part series by “Lara” on “Defence of our National System of Education against the Attacks of the Catholic Press” — a vigorous attack on admitting religion, especially Catholicism, into the public schools, with learned historical digressions on the evil consequences of Catholic political thought. At the conclusion of this diatribe, “Lara,” who now appears by his full name of D.E. de Lara, took up the cudgels again in an eight-part series, beginning in the issue for September 1874, on “Freemasonry, Judaism, and Christianity.” From this and his other contributions we can glean a bit more about the mysterious man whose name appears among those attending the formative meeting of the T.S. on September 8, 1875, and who read a paper before the group on the 18th. David de Lara was first of all quite old, since he mentions a book he had seen in Spain in 1820 or 1821, and he was a Portuguese Jew, a Sephardi.

In a review of a lecture given by de Lara on Pope Sixtus V before the Liberal Club in July 1875, the editor says of him:

Mr. de Lara, who is well-known, at any rate, to the readers of the New Era, through his writings upon the school question and other subjects, is a gentleman who has for a period of nearly half a century been engaged with his pen in enriching English literature, though chiefly under a nom de plume, in consequence of a too great modesty, which, being a part of his nature, cannot be eradicated. The history of European nations he has made a special study, and is eminently qualified to speak to us upon any question relating to the social or political condition of those countries.

Later that year:

In October 1875, the New Era, probably with Cobb at its helm, took up Theosophy and its personae in a big way. It gave a long review of Olcott’s People from the Other World, recommending it as “well written” and filled with “a desire to arrive at the truth, at whatever cost.”

Theosophical Society involvement

On September 8, 1875, he was present at the meeting when Col. Henry S. Olcott proposed formation of a society "for the study and elucidation of Occultism, the Cabbala, etc." and Mr. de Lara handed in his name to the newly-appointed secretary, William Quan Judge, to be one of the founding members. He may not have been present at all the subsequent meetings. Historian Josephine Ransom described him as:

A learned old gentleman of Portuguese-Hebrew extraction. H. P. B. and H. S. O. had great affection for him. He seems to have remained a member till he died.

Additional resources

• Deveney, John Patrick, "D.E. de Lara, John Storer Cobb, and The New Era" Theosophical History 15 no.4 (October, 2011): 27-33. The Theosophical History website is here.
• Huss, Boaz, "In Search of the Jewish Theosophists" The Newsletter of the Friends of the Theosophical Archives FOTA no. 6, Spring-Summer 2016. The issue, including the printed version of the article (with pictures), can be downloaded here.