William Potter Gale

William Potter Gale (1916-1988)[1] was a political activist who was involved with several white supremacist groups, including Christian Identity and the Posse Comitatus.[2]: 2  He was tied to the Aryan Nations,[3] the Church of Jesus Christ–Christian,[4] the Sovereign citizen movement,[5] and the Militia Movement.[6]

Early life and career

William Potter Gale was born on November 20, 1916, the fourth of five children of Charles Gale and Mary Agnes Potter. He was named after his maternal grandfather, William Potter; His father was raised as a Jew but rejected Judaism.[2]: 16  Potter's father Charles was descended from a long line of religiously devout Jews. Charles Gale arrived in the United States in 1894, fleeing from the antisemitic pogroms and the economic instability which were occurring in the Russian Empire, changing his family's name from "Grabifker" to Gale. At the age of 18, Charles Gale lied about his age and place of birth in order to serve in the US Army, but he truthfully listed his ethnicity as "Hebrew" on his military enlistment papers. Charles abandoned Judaism, married a non-Jewish woman, and raised their children as Christians. Charles Gale's siblings continued to practice Judaism.[7]

An Army Lieutenant Colonel, William Potter Gale served on General Douglas MacArthur's staff during World War II.[8]: 66  After leaving the army, Gale became an Episcopalian minister, but he eventually founded his own church. He also joined the John Birch Society.[9]: 152 

In 1964, he opened a securities firm in Glendale, California, and ran in the GOP primary for the 27th Congressional District without success.[10]: 93 

Activities and affiliations

Along with associates, Gale founded the California Rangers in the 1960s. The Rangers were registered as a civil defense group, although the Anti Defamation League (ADL) has listed them as a paramilitary tax resistance group.[10] According to his own account, he was involved in the founding of the Christian Defense League (CDL) along with S.J. Capt sometime between 1957 and 1962.[8]: 67 

Having been introduced to Wesley Swift by S.J. Capt in 1956,[8]: 66  Gale was involved in Swift's Church of Jesus Christ, Christian along with recognizable Christian Identity figures like Bertrand Comperet and Richard Girnt Butler.[10]: 298  Swift ordained Gale as a Christian Identity minister that same year. Michael Barkun refers to Gale as "a major Identity figure, part of the Comparet-Swift-Gale triumvirate that defined Christian Identity in California."[8]: 66  Following Swift's death in 1970, Gale turned from advocate to enemy, attacking Swift and his followers in his writings and publications.[8]: 69 

Gale has been described as the founder of the Posse Comitatus movement.[2]: 2  Barkun states that although the Posse Comitatus was not specifically an Identity movement, there were prominent Identity figures who were associated with it. Gale founded the United States Christian Posse Associates as an offshoot of his Ministry of Christ church.[8]: 221  He was one of the founders of the Christian Patriot movement in the 1980s.[2]: 3 

On October 2, 1987, Gale was convicted of tax related crimes and sent to prison. While his appeal was pending, he died on April 28, 1988.[8]: 69 

References
  1. "William P. Gale; Led Several Racist Groups". Los Angeles Times. May 4, 1988. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  2. Levitas, Daniel (2002). The Terrorist Next Door: The Militia Movement and the Radical Right. New York, NY: Thomas Dunne Books. ISBN 0-312-29105-1. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  3. "Aryan Nations/Church of Jesus Christ Christian". adl.org. Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  4. "Aryan Nations/Church of Jesus Christ Christian" (PDF). adl.org. Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  5. "Sovereign Citizen Movement". adl.org. Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  6. "The Militia Movement". adl.org. Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  7. Levitas, Daniel (December 18, 2002). "Exploring What is Behind the Rare Phenomenon of Jewish Anti-Semites". Intelligence Report. Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  8. Barkun, Michael (1997). Religion and the Racist Right: the Origins of the Christian Identity Movement. University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 0-8078-2328-7. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  9. Quarles, Chester L. (2014). Christian Identity: The Aryan American Bloodline Religion. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-7864-8148-4. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  10. Kaplan, Jeffrey, ed. (2000). Encyclopedia of White Power: A Sourcebook on the Radical Racist Right. AltaMira Press. ISBN 978-0-7425-0340-3. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
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