William Quan Judge

W.Q. Judge lived from 1851-1896. He was a young man when the Theosophical Society was founded, but he was among the 17 who first got together. With H.P. Blavatsky and Henry Steel Olcott he stayed in this organization, when others left. When Olcott and Blavatsky left the United States for India, Judge stayed behind, trying to keep the theosophical work alive, all the while working as a lawyer.

Judge wrote theosophical articles, for various theosophical magazines and the introductory volume "The Ocean of Theosophy". He also became the General Secretary of the American Section of the Theosophical Society in 1884. While in this function he got into an argument with Olcott and Annie Besant over the alleged receipt of letters by the Mahatmas. This ended in Judge leaving the Theosophical Society. Most of the American Section went with him. This split resulted in what is now a collection of theosophical organisations, the most prominent of these being the Theosophical Society Pasadena.

See also: Theosophy Theosophical Society Helena Petrovna Blavatsky H.S. Olcott Annie Besant