R. E. O'Callaghan
R. E. O'Callaghan | |
|---|---|
 Portrait from Fifty Years of Food Reform (1898) | |
| Born | Robert Elliott O'Callaghan 1855 St Pancras, Middlesex, England |
| Died | 1936 (aged 81) Manchester, England |
| Resting place | Southern Cemetery, Manchester |
| Occupation(s) | Activist, lecturer, writer |
| Years active | 1880–c. 1911 |
| Known for | Vegetarianism activism |
| Spouse |
Mary Ann Barry (m. 1888) |
| Children | 1 |
| Signature | |
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Robert Elliott O'Callaghan (1855–1936) was an English vegetarianism activist, lecturer, and writer. He became a prominent vegetarian advocate after being inspired by Francis William Newman. O'Callaghan joined the London Food Reform Society in 1880 and quickly rose to a position on its Executive Committee. He held key roles such as official lecturer for the Vegetarian Association, secretary of the London Vegetarian Society, and First Secretary of the Vegetarian Federal Union. O'Callaghan managed the Wheat Sheaf vegetarian restaurant and authored several works on vegetarianism. In 1900, he founded the Catholic Humane League.
Biography
[edit]Robert Elliott O'Callaghan was born in St Pancras, Middlesex, in the final quarter of 1855,[1] of Irish Catholic descent.[2]: 88 His attention was first directed to vegetarianism by one of Francis William Newman's lectures, a report of which he noticed in a shop window. In 1880, he joined the London Food Reform Society and became a member of its Executive Committee the following year. O’Callaghan became well-known for his impactful lectures on vegetarianism, which he often enriched with magic lantern illustrations.[3]
O'Callaghan held several significant positions within the vegetarian movement. He served as the official lecturer for the Vegetarian Association,[4] the secretary of the London Vegetarian Society,[5] and, from 1890, as the First Secretary of the Vegetarian Federal Union. He later acted as an agent for the Federal Union for the Southern Counties.[3]
In 1888, O'Callaghan married Mary Ann Barry in Fulham.[6] They had one daughter, Florence.[7] He became the proprietor of the London vegetarian restaurant, the Wheat Sheaf, located at 13 Rathbone Place, Oxford Street, taking over from Mrs. Britton.[2]: 88
O'Callaghan authored several publications on vegetarianism. In 1889, he published The Best Diet for a Working Man.[8] The following year, he co-authored The Manual of Vegetarianism: A Complete Guide to Food Reform with Charles W. Forward.[2]: 351 This was followed by The Diet of Health & Happiness in 1893[9] and How to Begin Vegetarianism with Month's Dietary and Cookery Book.[10] He also published a pamphlet, The Testimony of Science Against Flesh Eating.[11]
In 1900, O'Callaghan founded the Catholic Humane League, aimed at promoting humane principles among Catholics in line with the teachings of the Church. He served as its Honorary Secretary.[12]
O'Callaghan later moved to Manchester with his family and continued his work as a secretary.[7] He died there in the final quarter of 1936, at the age of 81.[13] O'Callaghan was buried on 24 December in the Southern Cemetery.[14]
Publications
[edit]- The Best Diet for a Working Man (1889)
- The Manual of Vegetarianism: A Complete Guide to Food Reform (with Charles W. Forward; 1890)
- The Diet of Health & Happiness (1893)
- How to Begin Vegetarianism with Month's Dietary and Cookery Book (1897)
- The Testimony of Science Against Flesh Eating
References
[edit]- ^ "Births Dec 1855". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
- ^ a b c Gregory, James Richard Thomas Elliott (May 2002). "Biographical Index of British Vegetarians and Food reformers of the Victorian Era". The Vegetarian Movement in Britain c.1840–1901: A Study of Its Development, Personnel and Wider Connections (PDF). Vol. 2. University of Southampton. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
- ^ a b Forward, Charles W. (1898). Fifty Years of Food Reform: A History of the Vegetarian Movement in England. London; Manchester: The Ideal Publishing Union; The Vegetarian Society. p. 148.
- ^ "Appointments for March". Good Health. 6 (3): 85. 1908-03-01.
- ^ "Vegetarianism in Sheffield". Sheffield and Rotherham Independent. 1889-08-21. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com. (subscription required)
- ^ "Marriages Jun 1888". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ^ a b "Robert Elliott O'Callaghan". 1911 England Census. Ancestry.com. 2011. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
- ^ "Bibliography: The Vegetarian Movement in England 1847-1981". International Vegetarian Union. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
- ^ "John Johnson Collection: pre-1960 ephemera; Societies: Health, Vegetarian" (PDF). Bodleian Libraries. p. 7. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
- ^ O'Callaghan, R. E. How to Begin Vegetarianism with Month's Dietary and Cookery Book. OCLC 316664483.
- ^ "Other Publications Received". Metaphysical Magazine: A Monthly Review of the Occult Sciences. 6–7. New York: The Metaphysical Publishing Company: 78. June 1897 – March 1898 – via Google Books.
- ^ Boulger, G. S., ed. (1900). Nature Notes: The Selborne Society's Magazine. Vol. XI. London: H. Sotheran (published November 1900). pp. 202–203 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Deaths Dec 1936". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
- ^ "Robert Elliot O'Callaghan". England & Scotland, Select Cemetery Registers, 1800-2024. Ancestry.com. 2014. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
- 1855 births
- 1936 deaths
- 19th-century English educators
- 19th-century English male writers
- 19th-century English non-fiction writers
- 19th-century Roman Catholics
- 20th-century Roman Catholics
- British lecturers
- Burials at Southern Cemetery, Manchester
- English cookbook writers
- English food writers
- English pamphleteers
- English people of Irish descent
- English restaurateurs
- English Roman Catholics
- English vegetarianism activists
- Founders of charities
- People associated with the Vegetarian Society
- People from Middlesex (before 1889)
- People from St Pancras, London
- Vegetarian cookbook writers
- English male non-fiction writers
- Magic lanterns
- Vegetarianism writers