Christian Party (United States, 1930s)

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The Christian Party was an American fascist political party which was founded by William Dudley Pelley in 1935. [1] He chose 16 August 1935 as the Christian Party's founding date, because it was a so-called "pyramid date". [2] The party can be considered the political wing of Pelley's paramilitary organization, the Silver Legion of America. It ran with Pelley as its candidate for the 1936 presidential campaign [3] (Silver Legion member Willard Kemp was the vice presidential candidate). Pelley gained just 1,600 votes in the election. [4] The party quickly vanished after the United States entered World War II.

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References

  1. Barkun, Michael (1997). Religion and the Racist Right: The Origins of the Christian Identity Movement. UNC Press Books. p. 91. ISBN   9780807846384.
  2. Scott Beekman: William Dudley Pelley – A Life in Right-Wing Extremism and the Occult, Syracuse (NY): Syracuse University Press 2005, p. 113.
  3. Schultz, Will. "William Dudley Pelley (1885-1965)". North Carolina History Project. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  4. Beekman, Scott (October 31, 2006). "Pelley, William Dudley". American National Biography (online ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.1501310.(subscription required)