R. E. O'Callaghan: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|English vegetarianism activist, lecturer and writer (1855–1936)}}

| alt = Image is an oval, black-and-white portrait of a distinguished man with a beard and bow tie

| birth_date = December 1855

| birth_place = [[St Pancras, London|St Pancras]], [[London]], England

| death_date = December 1936 (aged 81)

| resting_place = [[Southern Cemetery, Manchester|Southern Cemetery]], Manchester

| years_active = 1880–{{Circa|1911}}

| known_for = [[Vegetarianism]] activism

| signature = R. E. O'Callaghan signature.svg

'''Robert''' '''Elliott O'Callaghan''' (December 1855 – December 1936) was an English [[vegetarianism]] activist, lecturer and writer.

O'Callaghan was born in [[London]] in 1855 to [[Irish Catholics|Irish Catholic]] parents. He became a prominent vegetarian advocate after being inspired by [[Francis William Newman]]. O'Callaghan joined the London Food Reform Society in 1880, rapidly rising to its Executive. 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. O'Callaghan died in [[Manchester]] in 1936, and was buried in the [[Southern Cemetery, Manchester|Southern Cemetery]].

== Biography ==

Robert Elliott O'Callaghan was born in [[St Pancras, London]],in December 1855,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Births Dec 1855 |url=https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=H3xw9Om%2BaFwtsRchTNEGRw&scan=1 |accessdate=2024-06-21 |work=[[FreeBMD]] |publisher=[[Office for National Statistics|ONS]]}}</ref> of [[Irish Catholics|Irish Catholic]] descent.<ref name=":022">{{Cite book |last=Gregory |first=James Richard Thomas Elliott |url=https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/467032/2/886115_v.2.pdf |title=The Vegetarian Movement in Britain c.1840–1901: A Study of Its Development, Personnel and Wider Connections |date=May 2002 |publisher=University of Southampton |volume=2 |language=en |chapter=Biographical Index of British Vegetarians and Food reformers of the Victorian Era |access-date=2022-10-02}}</ref>{{Rp|page=88}} His attention was first directed to [[vegetarianism]] by one of [[Francis William Newman]]'s lectures, a report of whichhenoticed in a shop window. In 1880, he joined the London Food Reform Society and became a member of its Executive the following year. O'Callaghan gained recognition for his effective lectures on vegetarianism, often enhanced with illustrations using a [[magic lantern]].<ref name=":02">{{Cite book |last=Forward |first=Charles Walter |url=http://archive.org/details/b2486609x |title=Fifty Years of Food Reform: A History of the Vegetarian Movement in England |publisher=The Ideal Publishing Union; The Vegetarian Society |year=1898 |location=London; Manchester |page=[https://archive.org/details/b2486609x/page/148/mode/1up 148]}}</ref>

O'Callaghan held several significant positions within the vegetarian movement. He served as the official lecturer for the Vegetarian Association,<ref>{{Cite journal |date=1908-03-01 |title=Appointments for March |url=https://adventistdigitallibrary.org/adl-409914/good-health-march-1-1908 |journal=Good Health |volume=6 |issue=3 |pages=85}}</ref> the secretary of the [[London Vegetarian Society]],<ref>{{Cite news |date=1889-08-21 |title=Vegetarianism in Sheffield |work=Sheffield and Rotherham Independent |page=[https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/410160610/ 6]}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":02" />

In 1888, O'Callaghan married Mary Ann Barry in [[Fulham]],<ref>FreeBMD. ''England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915'' [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.</ref> and the couple had one daughter, Florence.<ref>''Census ReturnsofEngland and Wales, 1901''. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives, 1901.</ref> He became the proprietor of the London vegetarian restaurant, the Wheat Sheaf, located at [[Rathbone Place|13 Rathbone Place, Oxford Street]], taking over from Mrs. Britton.<ref name=":022" />{{Rp|page=88}}

O'Callaghan authored several publications on vegetarianism. In 1889, he published ''The Best Diet for a Working Man''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bibliography: The Vegetarian Movement in England 1847-1981 |url=https://ivu.org/history/thesis/bibliography.html |access-date=2024-01-03 |website=International Vegetarian Union (IVU)}}</ref> The following year, he co-authored ''The Manual of Vegetarianism: A Complete Guide to Food Reform'' with [[Charles W. Forward]].<ref name=":022" />{{Rp|page=351}} This was followed by ''The Diet of Health & Happiness'' in 1893<ref>{{Cite web |title=John Johnson Collection: pre-1960 ephemera; Societies: Health, Vegetarian |url=https://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/bodreader/documents/media/vegetariansocsformatted.pdf |access-date=2024-01-03 |website=Bodleian Libraries |language=en}}</ref>{{Rp|page=7}} and ''How to Begin Vegetarianism with Month's Dietary and Cookery Book''.''<ref>{{Cite web |title=How to begin vegetarianism with month's dietary and cookery book |url=https://search.worldcat.org/title/316664483 |access-date=2024-01-03 |website=WorldCat.org |language=en}}</ref>'' He also published a pamphlet, ''The Testimony of Science Against Flesh Eating''.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=June 1897 – March 1898 |title=Other Publications Received |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ybDNAAAAMAAJ |journal=Metaphysical Magazine: A Monthly Review of the Occult Sciences |location=New York |publisher=The Metaphysical Publishing Company |volume=6–7 |pages=78 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>

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 servedas its Honorary Secretary.<ref>{{Cite book |last= |url=http://archive.org/details/naturenotesselb1119selb_0 |title=Nature Notes: The Selborne Society's Magazine |publisher=H. Sotheran |year=1900 |editor-last=Boulger |editor-first=G. S. |volume=XI |location=London |publication-date=November 1900 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/naturenotesselb1119selb_0/page/202/mode/2up 202–203] |language=en}}</ref>

O'Callaghan later moved to [[Manchester]] with his family and worked as the secretary of a philanthropy society.<ref>''Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911''. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA) Series RG14, 1911.</ref> He died there in December 1936 at the age of 81.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Deaths Dec 1936 |url=https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=zz12xab%2FB92vkhrBG%2FXBag&scan=1 |accessdate=21 June 2024 |work=FreeBMD |publisher=ONS}}</ref> He was buried three days later in the [[Southern Cemetery, Manchester|Southern Cemetery]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mr Robert Elliot O'Callaghan |url=https://www.burialrecords.manchester.gov.uk/GenDecDetails.aspx?ID=570542 |url-access=registration |access-date=2024-06-21 |website=Burial Records Search |publisher=[[Manchester City Council]]}}</ref>

* ''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)

[[Category:1855 births]]

[[Category:1936 deaths]]

[[Category:19th-century English educators]]

[[Category:British lecturers]]

[[Category:English cookbook writers]]

[[Category:English pamphleteers]]

[[Category:English people of Irish descent]]

[[Category:English restaurateurs]]

[[Category:Founders of charities]]