George Lincoln Rockwell Biography

George Lincoln Rockwell was an American naval pilot, neo-Nazi politician, and the founder of the American Nazi Party. While serving in the United States Navy, he developed a keen interest in Adolf Hitler and Nazism and eventually became an apologist for both the political belief and the German leader. A native of Illinois, he attended Brown University where he became an ardent critic of equality. Rockwell later dropped out of college and enlisted in the US Navy. Despite a highly prolific military career, he was discharged because of his political views. In 1959, he set up the American Nazi Party and served as its first commander. Three years later, he established the World Union of National Socialists and became its inaugural leader as well. Rockwell held the view that Martin Luther King Jr. was being used by the Jewish communists against the white community. He was an advocate for racial segregation and a holocaust denier. In August 1967, Rockwell was murdered by a recently expelled member of his party. Following his death, he became the object of fascination for many white nationalists, including David Duke.