R. E. O'Callaghan | |
|---|---|
 Portrait fromFifty Years of Food Reform (1898) | |
| Born | Robert Elliott O'Callaghan 1855 St Pancras, Middlesex, England |
| Died | 21 December 1936 (aged 81) Longsight, Manchester, England |
| Resting place | Southern Cemetery, Manchester |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1880–c. 1911 |
| Known for | Vegetarianism activism |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
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RobertElliott O'Callaghan (1855 – 21 December 1936) was an Englishvegetarianism activist, lecturer, and writer. He became a prominent vegetarian advocate after being inspired byFrancis William Newman. O'Callaghan joined theLondon 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 theLondon Vegetarian Society, and as the inaugural secretary of theVegetarian Federal Union. O'Callaghan managed the Wheat Sheaf vegetarian restaurant and authored several works on vegetarianism. In 1900, he founded the Catholic Humane League.
Robert Elliott O'Callaghan was born inSt Pancras, Middlesex, in the final quarter of 1855,[1] ofIrish Catholic descent.[2]: 88
O'Callaghan's attention was first directed tovegetarianism by one ofFrancis William Newman's lectures, a report of which he noticed in a shop window. In 1880, he joined theLondon 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 withmagic 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 theLondon Vegetarian Society,[5] and, from 1890, as the inaugural secretary of theVegetarian Federal Union.[3] He later acted as an agent for the Federal Union for the Southern Counties.[3]
In 1893, O'Callaghan was a speaker at a vegetarian meeting chaired byC. H. Worsnop in Halifax. He argued that a vegetarian diet was more nourishing than eating meat and such a diet involved no additional work as vegetarian cookery was simple and more economical for the household.[6]
O'Callaghan later became the proprietor of the London vegetarian restaurant, the Wheat Sheaf, located at13 Rathbone Place, Oxford Street, taking over from Mrs. Britton.[2]: 88
O'Callaghan authored several works on vegetarianism. In 1889, he publishedThe Best Diet for a Working Man.[7] The following year, he co-authored, withCharles W. Forward,The Manual of Vegetarianism: A Complete Guide to Food Reform[2]: 351 This was followed byHow to Begin Vegetarianism with Month's Dietary and Cookery Book.[8] He also published the pamphlet,The Testimony of Science Against Flesh Eating[9] and contributed the short story, "The Ghost", about an ex-soldier who refuses to harm animals, to Forward'sDulce Sodalitium: A Selection of Stories and Sketches by Vegetarian Writers.[10]
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.[11]
O'Callaghan later moved toManchester with his family.[12] In 1908, he delivered an address on theanti-vivisection movement and a lecture on "Vivisection in Our Hospitals" atHeywood.[13] He served as secretary of the Northern Anti-Vivisection Federation[14] and was affiliated with the Stockport Anti-Vivisection Society[15] and theBritish Union for the Abolition of Vivisection.[16] He was also a member of theHumanitarian League.[17]
In 1888, O'Callaghan married Mary Ann Barry inFulham.[18] They had one daughter, Florence.[12]
O'Callaghan died atLongsight, Manchester on 21 December 1936, at the age of 81. He was buried on 24 December atSouthern Cemetery.[19]