by Victor Gerhard
July 23, 2002
Dr. William Pierce, America's most famous and influential pro-White
activist, writer and organizer died July 23, 2002, at about 12:00 noon
of cancer at his mountaintop home in Mill Point, W.V.
Pierce, leader of the National Alliance, the largest National
Socialist-influenced organization in the U.S., was diagnosed with cancer
near the beginning of July 2002. Pierce was hospitalized briefly in
Lewisburg, W.V., then for somewhat longer in Beckley, W.V. An operation
and initial treatment gave some hope of a recovery and he therefore
requested that his condition be kept strictly confidential. The national
office staff members complied admirably with their leader's difficult
request.
However, after this brief moment of hope it became clear the cancer had
progressed too far. Advised that intense treatment including kidney
dialysis could possibly prolong his life but not stave off the
inevitable and that such treatment would probably render him unable to
work, Pierce instead characteristically chose to return to his home
located at the National Alliance headquarters on July 20th to finalize
his plans for the future of the organization and its members and to
ensure an orderly succession of power.
Author of the famous incendiary novel of America's future, the Turner
Diaries, Pierce also wrote the novel Hunter; both were written under the
pen name Andrew Macdonald � a nod to his Scottish heritage. By itself
the Turner Diaries probably recruited more people to the cause of White
racialism than any other publication, person, organization or event.
Pierce was born in 1933 in Atlanta, Georgia. His early years were spent
mainly in the South, especially Texas, where he attended a military
school for a short time. His first love from his early years was
science. He was experimenting with chemistry and other sciences in his
parents' garage and basement when he was just a boy. He continued his
own experiments in his private workshop almost until his death.
Pierce went on to be awarded a masters and a doctorate in physics from
the University of Colorado, after earning an undergraduate degree at
Rice University and briefly taking graduate classes at Cal Tech. Pierce
later described his almost total immersion in his experiments for his
degrees; he spent days in the laboratories, sleeping next to the table
where he was working. Pierce then taught physics at Oregon State
University from 1962-1966, where he attained tenure in less than three
years, about twice as fast as usual.
During his time at Oregon State Pierce began becoming racially and
politically aware after previously being almost totally unaware of
politics and current events. Briefly he joined the John Birch Society.
As his politics quickly became more radical he stopped teaching and
began reading heavily about politics, European History, race
differences, and other related matters. He considered writing his own
book about what he had discovered then found to his amazement that such
books had been written years before with no lasting effect on the public
or elite. This caused him to begin searching for another way to stop the
destruction of the White race.
About this time, in late 1966, Pierce wrote a long letter to a man he
felt was doing the most to advance the cause of White Americans �
American Nazi Party leader George Lincoln Rockwell. Rockwell's long
gracious letter in return had a life-long effect on Pierce, and not only
for its political content. Pierce made a habit of personally answering
many of the letters sent to him for the rest of his life, convinced that
many people could be brought to the cause of White Nationalism with such
personal attention to their inquires.
Pierce moved to Washington, D.C., that same year and while never
officially joining the ANP he worked closely with Rockwell on many
projects such as editing and writing for the Party publication the
National Socialist World. Pierce also worked in the print shop for the
ANP and quite quickly gained knowledge of the printing business that
would be of great use in the future. It was at the print shop that he
first met another Rockwell associate -- a man he instantly disliked --
the man who eventually was kicked out of the ANP and returned to
assassinate Rockwell.
