James A. Long was born on August 27, 1898, at York, Pennsylvania. Following a career in private business, he served as a management consultant during WWII in the office of the Quartermaster General in Washington, DC, and was later transferred to the Department of State where he assisted in the changeover to peacetime responsibilities. While there he was sent as an Advisor to the US Delegation to the United Nations at the opening of the Second Session in 1946. Mr. Long joined The Theosophical Society in 1935 and in 1939 became business manager of its American Section. He worked closely with Arthur L. Conger, whom he succeeded as leader of The Theosophical Society in 1951. The same year he founded Sunrise magazine, which he edited until his death on July 19, 1971. A primary aim of his administration was “to the best of our ability, to be an example of practical theosophy in action.”