William H. Galvani

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

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

References

  1. ^ a b c Herringshaw, Thomas William. (1905). Herringshaw's Encyclopedia of American Biography of the Nineteenth Century. Chicago: American Publisher's Association. p. 390
  2. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c 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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