William Potter Gale

William Potter Gale (1916-1988)[1] was an active member of several white supremacy groups including Christian Identity and the Posse Comitatus.[2]:2 He is tied to Aryan Nations,[3] Church of Jesus Christ–Christian,[4] the Sovereign citizen movement,[5] and the Militia Movement.[6]

Background

William Potter Gale was born November 20, 1916, the fourth of five children of Charles Gale and Mary Agnes Potter. He was named for his maternal grandfather, William Potter; His father was Jewish but rejected Judaism.[2]:16

An Army Lieutenant Colonel, William Potter Gale served on General Douglas MacArthur's staff during World War II.[7]:66

After the army, Gale became an Episcopalian minister, although he eventually started his own church. He also joined the John Birch Society.[8]:152

In 1964, he opened a securities firm in Glendale, California, and unsuccessfully ran in the GOP primary for the 27th Congressional District.[9]:93

Christian Identity and other groups

Along with several associates, William Potter Gale founded the California Rangers in the 1960s. The Rangers were registered as a civil defense group, although the ADL has listed them as a paramilitary tax resistance group.[9] 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.[7]:67

Having been introduced to Wesley Swift by S. J. Capt in 1956,[7]: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.[9]: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."[7]:66

Following Swift's death, Gale turned from advocate to enemy, attacking both Swift and his followers through various writings and publications.[7]:69

William Potter 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 associated with it. Gale formed the United States Christian Posse Associates as an offshoot of his Ministry of Christ church.[7]:221

He helped launch the Christian Patriot movement in the 1980s.[2]:3

On October 2, 1987, Gale was convicted of tax related charges and sentenced to prison. He died April 28, 1988 while his appeal was pending.[7]: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. Thomas Dunn Books. ISBN 0-312-29105-1.
  3. "Aryan Nations/Church of Jesus Christ Christian". Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  4. "Aryan Nations/Church of Jesus Christ Christian" (PDF). Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  5. "Sovereign Citizen Movement". Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  6. "The Militia Movement". Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  7. Michael Barkun (1997). Religion and the Racist Right: the origins of the Christian Identity Movement. University of North Carolina Press.
  8. Quarles, Chester L. (2014). Christian Identity: The Aryan American Bloodline Religion. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-7864-8148-4.
  9. Jeffrey Kaplan, ed. (June 14, 2000). Encyclopedia of White Power: A Sourcebook on the Radical Racist Right. ISBN 978-0-7425-0340-3.
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