Joe McWilliams
Encyclopedia
Joseph Elsberry "Joe" McWilliams (1904 – 1996) was born to a poor pioneer family in the small town of Hitchcock, Oklahoma
.
In his earlier days McWilliams was well known for using an American-flag-draped covered Conestoga wagon
for publicizing his rallies and speeches, as well as for drawing attention to his cause. Most of his early rallies were impromptu street presentations that at times ended violently, as one did on July 4, 1940 in New York City. A crowd which had supported McWilliams turned ugly when McWilliams began to disparage Jews, Communists and businessmen for the world's problems, and McWilliams was arrested. McWilliams used the arrest to further his cause through newspaper reports of his speech and the violence that resulted.
In 1940, he ran for Congress
as a Republican
in the 18th Congressional District of New York
, which is around the Yorkville
section of Manhattan
. After losing by a large margin, he ran for Congress under the American Destiny Party ticket (a political organization he founded and based on the Nazi Party), but McWilliams was disqualified from the ballot after failing to gather enough signatures. In 1944, he and others were charged with sedition under the Smith Act
. The Great Sedition Trial, as it became known, became a farce of a trial in which it would become clear that the charges against many of the defendants were more against their political beliefs and free speech than on their actions, and that the 48 on trial should not have been placed on trial as a group; even The Washington Post
would eventually withdraw their reporter; a mistrial was declared on December 7, 1944, and charges of sedition would not be taken up against Joseph E. McWilliams again.
It was during and after these times that McWilliams, conscious of the hardships facing servicemen returning from war, and having three younger brothers who served honorably in the United States Armed Forces in World War II
, two of them in the European theatre, worked on his Serviceman's Reconstruction Plan, one of the blueprints used, but not given credit to by others, for the G.I. Bill of Rights
.
After World War II, he briefly worked on the campaign of North Carolina
Democratic
Senator Robert Rice Reynolds
, who had been a fascist sympathizer.
In an interview, Eustace Mullins
, a disciple of Ezra Pound
who continued Pound's investigation into the monetary system, but who was also a devout anti-Semite, credited McWilliams as "one of the greatest American patriots", and as the source for his theory, set forth in The Biological Jew, that Jews were "biological parasites". Mullins said that "Joe taught me about the biological Jew. This was a study he had made over thirty years [asking] what is the Jew? And he decided that it was a biological parasite."
In a footnote, one of Joe McWilliams daughters married a man with Jewish ancestry, who subsequently helped take care of Joe in his old age.
Hitchcock, Oklahoma
Hitchcock is a town in Blaine County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 141 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Hitchcock is located at ....
.
In his earlier days McWilliams was well known for using an American-flag-draped covered Conestoga wagon
Conestoga wagon
The Conestoga wagon is a heavy, broad-wheeled covered wagon that was used extensively during the late 18th century and the 19th century in the United States and sometimes in Canada as well. It was large enough to transport loads up to 8 tons , and was drawn by horses, mules or oxen...
for publicizing his rallies and speeches, as well as for drawing attention to his cause. Most of his early rallies were impromptu street presentations that at times ended violently, as one did on July 4, 1940 in New York City. A crowd which had supported McWilliams turned ugly when McWilliams began to disparage Jews, Communists and businessmen for the world's problems, and McWilliams was arrested. McWilliams used the arrest to further his cause through newspaper reports of his speech and the violence that resulted.
In 1940, he ran for Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
in the 18th Congressional District of New York
New York's 18th congressional district
The 18th Congressional District of New York is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in the northern suburbs of New York City. It includes most of Westchester County and part of Rockland County. It includes Larchmont, Mamaroneck, New Rochelle, Ossining, the Town of...
, which is around the Yorkville
Yorkville, Manhattan
Yorkville is a neighborhood in the greater Upper East Side, in the Borough of Manhattan in New York City. Yorkville's boundaries include: the East River on the east, 96th Street on the north, Third Avenue on the west and 72nd Street to the south. However, its southern boundary is a subject of...
section of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. After losing by a large margin, he ran for Congress under the American Destiny Party ticket (a political organization he founded and based on the Nazi Party), but McWilliams was disqualified from the ballot after failing to gather enough signatures. In 1944, he and others were charged with sedition under the Smith Act
Smith Act
The Alien Registration Act or Smith Act of 1940 is a United States federal statute that set criminal penalties for advocating the overthrow of the U.S...
. The Great Sedition Trial, as it became known, became a farce of a trial in which it would become clear that the charges against many of the defendants were more against their political beliefs and free speech than on their actions, and that the 48 on trial should not have been placed on trial as a group; even The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
would eventually withdraw their reporter; a mistrial was declared on December 7, 1944, and charges of sedition would not be taken up against Joseph E. McWilliams again.
It was during and after these times that McWilliams, conscious of the hardships facing servicemen returning from war, and having three younger brothers who served honorably in the United States Armed Forces in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, two of them in the European theatre, worked on his Serviceman's Reconstruction Plan, one of the blueprints used, but not given credit to by others, for the G.I. Bill of Rights
G.I. Bill of Rights
The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 , known informally as the G.I. Bill, was an omnibus law that provided college or vocational education for returning World War II veterans as well as one year of unemployment compensation...
.
After World War II, he briefly worked on the campaign of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Senator Robert Rice Reynolds
Robert Rice Reynolds
Robert Rice Reynolds was a Democratic U.S. senator from North Carolina between 1932 and 1945. Almost from the outset of his Senate career, "Our Bob," as he was known among supporters back home, acquired distinction as a passionate isolationist and increasingly as an apologist for Nazi aggression...
, who had been a fascist sympathizer.
In an interview, Eustace Mullins
Eustace Mullins
Eustace Clarence Mullins, Jr. was a populist American political writer, biographer, and antisemite. His most famous and influential work is The Secrets of The Federal Reserve, described by congressman Wright Patman as 'a very fine book [which] has been very useful to me'...
, a disciple of Ezra Pound
Ezra Pound
Ezra Weston Loomis Pound was an American expatriate poet and critic and a major figure in the early modernist movement in poetry...
who continued Pound's investigation into the monetary system, but who was also a devout anti-Semite, credited McWilliams as "one of the greatest American patriots", and as the source for his theory, set forth in The Biological Jew, that Jews were "biological parasites". Mullins said that "Joe taught me about the biological Jew. This was a study he had made over thirty years [asking] what is the Jew? And he decided that it was a biological parasite."
In a footnote, one of Joe McWilliams daughters married a man with Jewish ancestry, who subsequently helped take care of Joe in his old age.
External links
- Christian Affronters Time Magazine, November 27, 1939.
- Mr. McNazi Time Magazine, September 23, 1940.
- The Curtain Rise Time Magazine, May 1, 1944.