William H. Galvani

William H. Galvani (June 27, 1861 - October 23, 1947) was a civil engineer, vegetarianism activist and writer.

William H. Galvani
BornJune 27, 1861
Russia
DiedOctober 23, 1947 (aged 86)
Portland, Oregon
OccupationCivil engineer, writer

Biography

Galvani was born in Russia and emigrated to the United States in 1882.[1] He worked as a railway engineer under Hans Thielsen, chief engineer of the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company. Throughout his career in engineering, he worked for the Oregon Electric Railway Company and the Pacific Power & Light Company.[2] He worked as a civil engineer on principal railways in the Pacific Northwest. He was also a writer and contributed to periodical literature.[1]

In 1909, Galvani was appointed by Governor Benson to represent Oregon at the National Peace Congress in Chicago.[2] Galvani was Jewish but held an interest in Buddhism and published several articles in Buddhist magazines.[3][4] He was an exponent of pantheism and a member of the Theosophical Society.[1] Galvani was an anti-vivisectionist and strict vegetarian. He planned to create a vegetarian colony at his farm in Oregon.[5] He was President of the Oregon Vegetarian Society.[4] In 1943, he was granted an honorary doctorate of engineering by Oregon State College.[6] He was a 32nd-degree Mason of the Scottish Rite.[4]

Map collection

Galvani was a collector of rare books and maps. In 1947, he bequeathed his private library, including his map collection to the Oregon State College. The collection includes over 1,050 maps.[7][8]

Selected publications
gollark: I use XP again.
gollark: I duplicate yet another liver, 4d6.
gollark: I use 1XP again.
gollark: I duplicate another liver, 3d6.
gollark: I use another XP to level up at duplication.

References
  1. Herringshaw, Thomas William. (1905). Herringshaw's Encyclopedia of American Biography of the Nineteenth Century. Chicago: American Publisher's Association. p. 390
  2. Gaston, Joseph. (1911). Portland, Oregon, Its History and Builders, Volume 2. Chicago: S. J. Clarke Publishing Company. pp. 717-718
  3. Tweed, Thomas A. (1992). The American Encounter with Buddhism, 1844-1912. University of North Carolina Press. p. 52. ISBN 0-8078-4906-5
  4. Anderson, Heather Arndt. (2015). Portland: A Food Biography. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 90. ISBN 978-1-4422-2738-5
  5. Tweed, Thomas A. (1992). The American Encounter with Buddhism, 1844-1912. University of North Carolina Press. p. 82. ISBN 0-8078-4906-5
  6. "Avid and Eclectic: Galvani the Collector". Oregon State University Libraries and Press. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  7. "William H. Galvani Rare Maps Collection, circa 1570-1909". Oregon State University. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  8. "Rare map collection available at Oregon State library". KCBY. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
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