Editing AMORC (section)

== History ==
[[Harvey Spencer Lewis]] in 1904 founded the Rosicrucian Research Society. Lewis was an advertising agent from New York and the founder of another group called the New York Institution for Psychical Research.{{sfn|Chryssides|2006|pp=30–31}}{{sfn|Introvigne|2004|p=30}} He founded the organization after a trip to France, claiming that he had been initiated into [[Rosicrucianism]] there in what he called an "old tower" in [[Toulouse]].{{sfn|Introvigne|2004|p=30}} He presented this as a revival of the original, partially mythical and ancient Rosicrucian Order.{{sfn|Caillet|1997|p=29}} 

The Ancient Mystical Order of the Rosy Cross (AMORC) was founded in 1915.{{sfn|Introvigne|2004|p=30}}{{sfn|Melton|1987|p=593}} Lewis was the "imperator" of the group.{{sfn|Chryssides|2006|pp=30–31}} The group later moved to [[San Francisco]], [[Tampa]], and [[San Jose, California|San Jose]]; it would establish its world headquarters in the latter.{{sfn|Introvigne|2004|p=30}} Its headquarters there include [[Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum|a museum]], a [[planetarium]], and a temple. The group was successful in the USA, leading to the founding of several branches in Europe, which were mostly independent from the main branch of AMORC. Several of these groups would later schism into their own organizations, but Lewis kept the significant French branch of AMORC tied to the parent by collaborating with Jeanne Guesdon.{{sfn|Introvigne|2004|p=30}}

Lewis died in 1939. Following his death, Lewis was succeeded by his son, [[Ralph Maxwell Lewis]].{{sfn|Chryssides|2006|pp=30–31}}{{sfn|Introvigne|2004|p=30}} Ralph Lewis would die in 1987, succeeded by [[Gary L. Stewart]]; Stewart was young, at 34, but was able to be elected with the support of the leader of the powerful French branch, [[Raymond Bernard (esotericist)|Raymond Bernard]]. However, Stewart later fought with the AMORC Board of Directors, and was ousted from the organization in 1990; he would later found a splinter group, the Confraternity of the Rose Cross. Bernard also distanced himself from AMORC and himself founded many other groups. Stewart was replaced as imperator by Bernard's son [[Christian Bernard]].{{sfn|Introvigne|2004|p=30}} He was replaced as imperator by Claudio Mazzucco in 2019.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rioux |first=Philippe |date=2019-09-19 |title=Convention internationale pour l'ordre de la Rose-Croix |trans-title=International Convention for the Order of the Rosy-Cross |url=https://www.ladepeche.fr/2019/09/19/convention-internationale-pour-lordre-de-la-rose-croix,8424076.php |url-access=subscription |access-date=2024-10-23 |work=[[La Dépêche du Midi]] |location=Toulouse |language=fr-FR |issn=0181-7981}}</ref>

As of 1995, the group reported that it had 1,200 lodges in 86 countries, with 250,000 members being reported in 1990.{{sfn|Chryssides|2006|pp=30–31}}