Today in history On August 25, 1967 – George Lincoln Rockwell, founder of the American Nazi Party, is assassinated by a former member of his group.

In 1967, George Lincoln Rockwell, the founder of the American Nazi Party, was assassinated in Arlington, Virginia, at the age of 49. Rockwell, a former U.S. Navy commander, had become infamous in the post–World War II era for openly embracing Adolf Hitler’s ideology and promoting white supremacy, antisemitism, and segregation. He was a provocative figure who often staged rallies, marches, and demonstrations designed to provoke outrage, gaining national attention as one of America’s most visible neo-Nazi leaders. Despite widespread condemnation of his beliefs, Rockwell had built a small but loyal following, largely attracting disillusioned and extremist individuals in the 1950s and 1960s. His public presence and inflammatory rhetoric made him both a prominent and controversial figure in the turbulent era of civil rights struggles and Cold War tensions.

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On August 25, 1967, Rockwell was shot and killed while leaving a laundromat in Arlington. The assassin was later identified as John Patler, a disgruntled former member of the American Nazi Party whom Rockwell had expelled from the organization months earlier for allegedly spreading dissent. The killing shocked Rockwell’s followers, who viewed him as a martyr, while mainstream America largely reacted with indifference or relief at the death of such a polarizing figure. Patler was quickly arrested, tried, and convicted of murder, receiving a 20-year sentence. Rockwell’s death marked a major turning point for the American Nazi Party, which fractured and lost much of its influence in the years that followed, though his ideas would continue to inspire extremist groups long after his demise.

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