Symon Gould (1894 – November 24, 1963) was an American politician and vegetarianism activist. He was the co-founder of the American Vegetarian Party, formed in 1948.

Biography

Gould was a

bibliophile Bibliophilia or bibliophilism is the love of books. A bibliophile or bookworm is an individual who loves and frequently reads and/or collects books. Profile The classic bibliophile is one who loves to read, admire and collect books, often ama ...

, rare book dealer, and director of the American Library Service. Gould was also the founder of the International Film Arts Guild, based in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. According to one account, he edited the American print of the silent film

Nosferatu ''Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror'' (German: ''Nosferatu – Eine Symphonie des Grauens'') is a 1922 silent German Expressionist horror film directed by F. W. Murnau and starring Max Schreck as Count Orlok, a vampire who preys on the wife ...

. Gould is credited with boosting the " art house theater" (or "little cinema") movement by his screenings at the Cameo Theatre in New York. Gould died in of cancer at

Roosevelt Hospital Mount Sinai West, opened in 1871 as Roosevelt Hospital, is affiliated with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Mount Sinai Health System. The 514-bed facility is located in the Midtown West neighborhood of New York City. The f ...

in 1964. He was 70 years old. Prior to his death, Gould resided on 150 West 47th Street in Midtown Manhattan.

Vegetarianism

In 1948, Gould co-founded the American Vegetarian Party with John Maxwell, a naturopathic physician and restaurateur.Kruschke, Earl Roger. (1991). ''Encyclopedia of Third Parties in the United States''. ABC-CLIO. p. 31. Gould was editor of the ''American Vegetarian'' magazine. He was their candidate for

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

in the

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Jan ...

and 1964 presidential elections. Gould was also secretary of the Vegetarian Society of New York and urged the government to take vegetarianism into account under any rationing plan during World War II.Iacobbo, Karen; Iacobbo, Michael. (2004). ''Vegetarian America: A History''. Praeger Publishing. pp. 158-159. In 1946 in New York City, Gould moderated a debate sponsored by the League for Public Discussion on meat eating versus vegetarianism. Gould was a

lacto-vegetarian A lacto-vegetarian (sometimes referred to as a lactarian; from the Latin root lact-, ''milk'') diet is a diet that abstains from the consumption of meat as well as eggs, while still consuming dairy products such as milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, ...

. He

fasted Fasting is the abstention from eating and sometimes drinking. From a purely physiological context, "fasting" may refer to the metabolic status of a person who has not eaten overnight (see "Breakfast"), or to the metabolic state achieved after co ...

for 21 days every year.Peterson, Robert. (August 11, 1961)
''Life Begins at Forty''
''The Chronicle Star the Moss Point Advertiser''. p. 1 He was a promoter of Herbert M. Shelton's American Natural Hygiene Society.

Biography

Vegetarianism

References

Further reading