Alfred Percy Sinnett

Alfred Percy Sinnett (18 January 1840, London - 26 June 1921) was an English author, journalist, and Theosophist, who played an important part in growth of the Theosophical Society during its first generation.

Early years

Sinnett's father died while he was young, by 1851 Sinnett is listed as a "Scholar - London University", living with his widowed mother Jane whose occupation is listed as "Periodical Literature", and his older sister Sophia age 22 who is a teacher. Jane's sister Sarah age 48 is also a teacher.

Sinnett married his wife Patience in 1870, probably in the London area. He is listed in the 1871 England Census at age 31, as a Journalist, born in Middlesex. His wife Patience is listed as 27, and her mother Clarissa Edenson, a "Landowner", is living with them.

Work at The Pioneer

Pioneer office stationery
from Mahatma Letter No. 14b.

In 1872, Sinnett became editor of The Pioneer, owned by Sir George William Allen. In the eleven years of his editorship, the little paper grew into the leading Anglo-Indian daily newspaper of the day.

In 1882, Clive Rattigan purchased The Pioneer from Allen and decided that Sinnett's services as editor were no longer required. Sinnett wrote of Rattigan:

He had been from the first intensely unsympathetic with my interest in the occult development ..., but for my connection with Theosophy it would have been unlikely that my connection with the Pioneer would have been disturbed at this period. There was some friction between myself and the new proprietors, but my success as writer had become fairly conspicuous and the friction such as it was would not have been enough to break the tie. But again both my wife and I had grown tired of the Indian life and wished to be back in England. It seemed just possible that the savings of our time in India, plus journalistic work at home, would enable us to live there in moderate comfort, so that we contemplated my resignation of the Pioneer editorship as a step we might be inclined to take. The parting therefore was neither strained nor unfriendly, and for many years after my return to England I continued to write articles of various kinds for the paper in India.

Evidence that the relationship with the paper remained cordial is shown that around 1891, he was able to help Charles Webster Leadbeater obtain employment in the London office of The Pioneer.

Years in India

When Madame Blavatsky and Colonel Olcott arrived in Bombay early in 1879, Sinnett had aleady been Editor of The Pioneer, for about eight years. He had built it into the leading Anglo-Indian daily newspaper.

By 1879, Sinnett had moved to India where he was "... the Editor of The Pioneer, the leading English Daily of India..."

He relates in his book, The Occult World that: "...on the first occasion of my making Madame Blavatsky's acquaintance she became a guest at my home at Allahabad and remained there for six weeks..."

In 1880 Helena Blavatsky and Henry Steel Olcott visited the Sinnetts at their summer-home in Simla. Most of the famous Mahatma letters were written to Sinnett.

By 1889, Sinnett was back in England, and asked Charles Webster Leadbeater to come back to England to tutor his son Percy and George Arundale. Leadbeater agreed and brought with him one of his pupils Curuppumullage Jinarājadāsa. Using "astral clairvoyance" Leadbeater assisted William Scott-Elliot to write his book The Story of Atlantis, for which Sinnett wrote the preface.

Sinnett was later President of the London Lodge of the Theosophical Society.

Mahatma Letters

Sinnett crest on Mahatma Letter 76

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Writings

By 1901, Sinnett is listed as an author. His son Percy is also listed as an author and born in India.

• The Early Days of Theosphy in Europe. Theosophical Publishing House Ltd, London, 1922. Available online at Canadian Theosophical Association. Published posthumously, this gives an account of how the Sinnetts came to invite HPB to Simla; how APS left The Pioneer; use of the term Brotherhood; Anna Bonus Kingsford; HPB's time in Europe; the Gebhard family; and many other aspects of early TS history.