Death of a Bigot

August 25, 1967 - George Lincoln Rockwell was shot and killed on this day. He was the founder of the American Nazi Party.

The outrageously outspoken bigot believed that all blacks should be shipped back to Africa and that all the Jews should be sterilized. He argued that the only hope for humanity was to separate the races, so he worked with groups like the Ku Klux Klan to battle the civil rights movement.

To spread his gospel of hate, Rockwell started a music label called Hatenanny Records. Its roster included Odis Cochran and the Three Bigots. Their screeching anthem, Ship Those Niggers Back now resides in the ash heap of history.

Despite antagonizing most of the civilized world, Rockwell's death would come at the hands of one of his closest allies. John Patler, a young "captain" in Rockwell's Nazi party was upset about being expelled by the group for his Marxist leanings. From the roof of a beauty salon he fired two bullets through the windshield of Rockwell's car. Rockwell was hit in the head and chest. He died quickly.

Patler received a 20-year sentence for the murder. He got out in 1975 but violated the conditions of his parole and went back to prison for another 6 years. He now lives in New York City.