Arthur Edward Waite | |
|---|---|
 Waite in 1911 | |
| Born | 2 October 1857 Brooklyn, New York, United States |
| Died | 19 May 1942 (aged 84) London, England |
| Resting place | Bishopsbourne Village, in the county of Kent, England |
| Nationality | British, American |
| Known for | Rider–Waite tarot deck |
| Spouses | Ada Lakeman
(m. 1888; died 1924)Mary Broadbent Schofield
(m. 1933) |
| Children | 1 daughter |
Arthur Edward Waite (2 October 1857 – 19 May 1942) was a British poet and scholarly mystic who wrote extensively on occult and esoteric matters, and was the co-creator of the Rider–Waite tarot deck (also called the Rider–Waite–Smith or Waite–Smith deck). As his biographer R. A. Gilbert described him, "Waite's name has survived because he was the first to attempt a systematic study of the history of Western occultism—viewed as a spiritual tradition rather than as aspects of protoscience or as the pathology of religion."[1]
He was a Freemason, as well as being a member of the SRIA and Golden Dawn.
He spent most of his life in or near London, connected to various publishing houses and editing a magazine, The Unknown World.
- ^ Gilbert (1987), p. 361.