William Dudley Pelley

William Dudley Pelley
Pelley c. 1936
Born(1890-03-12)March 12, 1890
DiedJune 30, 1965(1965-06-30) (aged 75)
Resting placeCrownsville Cemetery, Noblesville, Indiana
Occupation(s)American fascist leader Journalist
Screenwriter
Known forFounding the Silver Legion of America and the Christian Party
Criminal statusDeceased
Conviction(s)Sedition (50 U.S.C. § 33) (10 counts)
Seditious conspiracy (50 U.S.C. § 34)
Criminal penalty15 years imprisonment
Wanted by
Asheville Police Department
Buncombe County Sheriff's Department
United States Military Police
United States Department of Justice
Writing career
LanguageEnglish
GenresFiction
Political journalism
Notable worksThe Continental Angle
The Face in the Window
Seven Minutes in Eternity
Notable awards2 O. Henry Awards
Chairman of the Christian Party
In office
January 30, 1935 – December 7, 1941
Preceded byposition established
Succeeded byposition abolished
Personal details
Political partyChristian Party
SpouseAgnes Marion Henderson-Pelley
A wanted poster for Pelley

William Dudley Pelley (March 12, 1890 – June 30, 1965) was an American fascist activist, journalist, writer and occultist, noted for his support of German dictator Adolf Hitler during the Great Depression and World War II.[1]

Pelley came to prominence as a writer, winning two O. Henry Awards and penning screenplays for Hollywood films. His 1929 essay "Seven Minutes in Eternity" marked a turning point in his career, published in The American Magazine as a popular example of what would later be called a near-death experience. His antisemitism led him to found the Silver Legion of America in 1933, a fascist paramilitary league. He ran for president of the United States in 1936 as the candidate for the Christian Party.

In 1942, Pelley was prosecuted by the U.S. government for sedition and seditious conspiracy for conspiring to cause insubordination in the military and obstruct recruitment. He was found guilty and sentenced to 15 years in federal prison. Pelley was released on parole in February 1950. As a condition of his parole, he was forced to cease his political activities.[2]

Upon his death in 1965, The New York Times assessed Pelley as "an agitator without a significant following."[3]

  1. ^ "The American Hitler Comes to Washington | Boundary Stones". boundarystones.weta.org. 2021-05-19. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  2. ^ 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)
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference nytobit was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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