| R. E. O'Callaghan | |
| Birth Name: | Robert Elliott O'Callaghan |
| Birth Date: | 1855 |
| Birth Place: | St Pancras, Middlesex, England |
| Death Date: | 1936 (aged 81) |
| Death Place: | Manchester, England |
| Resting Place: | Southern Cemetery, Manchester |
| Occupation: | Activist, lecturer, writer |
| Years Active: | 1880– |
| Known For: | Vegetarianism activism |
| Children: | 1 |
| Signature: | R. E. O'Callaghan signature.svg |
Robert Elliott O'Callaghan (1855–1936) was an English vegetarianism activist, lecturer, and writer. He became a prominent vegetarian advocate after being inspired by Francis William Newman. O'Callaghan joined the London 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 the London Vegetarian Society, and First Secretary of the Vegetarian 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 in St Pancras, Middlesex, in the final quarter of 1855,[1] of Irish Catholic descent.[2] His attention was first directed to vegetarianism by one of Francis William Newman's lectures, a report of which he noticed in a shop window. In 1880, he joined the London 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 with magic 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 the London Vegetarian Society,[5] and, from 1890, as the First Secretary of the Vegetarian Federal Union. He later acted as an agent for the Federal Union for the Southern Counties.
In 1888, O'Callaghan married Mary Ann Barry in Fulham.[6] They had one daughter, Florence.[7] He became the proprietor of the London vegetarian restaurant, the Wheat Sheaf, located at 13 Rathbone Place, Oxford Street, taking over from Mrs. Britton.
O'Callaghan authored several publications on vegetarianism. In 1889, he published The Best Diet for a Working Man.[8] The following year, he co-authored The Manual of Vegetarianism: A Complete Guide to Food Reform with Charles W. Forward. This was followed by The Diet of Health & Happiness in 1893[9] and How to Begin Vegetarianism with Month's Dietary and Cookery Book.[10] He also published a pamphlet, The Testimony of Science Against Flesh Eating.[11]
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.[12]
O'Callaghan later moved to Manchester with his family and continued his work as a secretary. He died there in the final quarter of 1936, at the age of 81.[13] O'Callaghan was buried on 24 December in the Southern Cemetery.[14]