Henry Steel Olcott, (
1832-
1907), founder and first president of the
Theosophical Society, most well known as the first person of western descent to make a formal conversion to Buddhism. His subsequent actions as president of the Theosophical Society helped
Buddhism into a new renaissance. He is still honored in Sri Lanka for these efforts.
see also:
Theosophical Society Buddhism H.P. Blavatsky Theosophy