Haas, George C(hristian) O(tto) (1883-1964)

Archbishop (primate of Universal Spiritual Church) who took an active interest in psychical science and lectured on the subject. Born March 28, 1883, in New York, New York, he attended Columbia University (B.A., 1902; M.A., 1903; Ph.D., 1909). He worked as a tutor at the College of the City of New York (1904-16) and then went to work for the U.S. Department of Justice as a translator (1917-51). As a member of the American Oriental Society, he served as coeditor of the Journal of the American Society (1916-18).

Throughout his adult life Haas was an active Spiritualist. In 1927 he founded the Universal Spiritual Church. Haas was responsible for the theory of "hyperphysics," intended to reorient science, and was founder and director of the Institute of Hyperphysical Research (IHR). He also directed the Institute of Life, a division of IHR.

During his retirement years he became active in the Fellowship of Faiths, an interfaith organization, and in 1956 was consecrated as archbishop of the Universal Spiritual Church. The church affiliated with the Catholic Apostolic Church, headquartered in England, and in 1959 the synod of the Catholic Apostolic Church named him primate of all the Americas.