Gerald L. K. Smith

Gerald Lyman Kenneth Smith was an American Disciples clergyman, politician and organizer known for his populist and far-right demagoguery. He began his career as a leader of the Share Our Wealth movement during the Great Depression. After the death of Huey Long he shifted away from advocating wealth redistribution towards anti-communism and later anti-semitism, becoming known for far-right causes. He founded the America First Party in 1943 and was its 1944 presidential candidate, winning fewer than 1,800 votes. In 1947, he founded the Christian Nationalist Party, which would become the Christian Nationalist Crusade, a vehicle that would lead to the emergence of Christian Identity as an organized movement.