H. S. Olcott

Henry Steel Olcott (1832–1907) was an American military officer, journalist, lawyer, and co-founder and first president of the Theosophical Society. He was the first well-known American of European ancestry to formally convert to Buddhism and played a key role in the revival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. Olcott authored the influential "Buddhist Catechism" in 1881, which remains in use in Buddhist schools today.