William H. Galvani | |
---|---|
Born | June 27, 1861 |
Died | October 23, 1947 (aged 86) Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
Occupation(s) | Civil engineer, writer, activist |
William H. Galvani (June 27, 1861 – October 23, 1947) was a Russian-American civil engineer, vegetarianism activist and writer.
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]
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]