Theosophical Society in America (Judge)

The name Theosophical Society in America was used by the organization formed by William Quan Judge following the contentious 1895 Convention in which the American Section divided into two factions. In 1898 the organization was folded into the Universal Brotherhood, forming the Universal Brotherhood and Theosophical Society led by Katherine Tingley.

For other uses of the name Theosophical Society in America, refer to this history.

1896 convention

The first annual convention of the organization was held in New York on April 26, 1896. The death of Mr. Judge on March 21 left no clear successor for the Presidency, and speculation rested on Dr. J. D. Buck, Dr. Jerome A. Anderson, August Neresheimer, and Claude Falls Wright as potential candidates. The convention proceedings drew much attention from New York newspapers. International figures attending the event included Alice Cleather, Dinshah Ghadiali, Franz Hartmann, Katherine Hillard, Ernest Temple Hargrove, Charles Johnston, Sir William Crookes, Camille Flammarion, Frederick J. Dick, and others. Theosophists came from almost every American state and Canadian province. Following the main session held at Madison Square Garden, a reception was scheduled at the headquarters building, No. 44 Madison Avenue.