Wesley A. Swift

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Wesley A. Swift
Born1913
New Jersey
Died1970 (aged 56–57)
Mexico
OccupationMinister

Wesley A. Swift (1913–1970) was a Methodist minister from Southern California who was known for his racist and white supremacist views.[1] In the 1940s, Swift started his own church which eventually became the Church of Jesus Christ Christian.[2] The church's website now states that "Wesley Swift is considered the single most significant figure in the early years of the Christian Identity movement in the United States."[3] He was also responsible for the formation of the Antelope Valley chapter of the Ku Klux Klan[4] and is associated with the militant Christian group the California Rangers. He was denounced for his views by Robert W. Welch Jr. of the John Birch Society. Swift died in a Mexican clinic on October 8, 1970, apparently from a heart attack.[5]

References[]

  1. ^ "Christian Identity - Race & Origins in the Bible".
  2. ^ "Extremism in America: Aryan Nations/Church of Jesus Christ Christian". Anti-Defamation League. 2007. Archived from the original on 2011-03-12. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  3. ^ "Church of Jesus Christ - Christian". Church of Jesus Christ - Christian. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  4. ^ Marinacci, Michael (26 January 2015). "Califia's Children: Wesley Swift and the Church of Jesus Christ - Christian".
  5. ^ Barkun, Michael (2014). Religion and the Racist Right: The Origins of the Christian Identity Movement. UNC Press Books. p. 68. ISBN 9781469611112. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
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