John Kasper

Frederick John Kasper Jr.
Frederick John Kasper Jr.
Born	21 October 1929 (age 97); Merchantville, New Jersey, U.S.
Died	7 April 1998 (aged 68)
Occupation(s)	Political figure, publisher, accountant
Known for	Segregation advocacy, Ku Klux Klan affiliation, resisting racial integration during the civil rights era

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article John Kasper, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 11 August 2025

Frederick John Kasper Jr. (October 21, 1929 – April 7, 1998) was an American political figure, Ku Klux Klan affiliate, and segregation advocate who actively resisted racial integration during the civil rights era.

Life

Kasper was brought up in Merchantville, New Jersey and pursued his education at Columbia University. He became an ardent follower of poet Ezra Pound, maintaining extensive correspondence with him from 1950 through 1963. Influenced by Pound's philosophies, Kasper launched the Square Dollar Press in 1951 to publish selected works and inaugurated the Make It New bookstore in Greenwich Village in 1953, which served to promote Pound’s literary ideas. He opposed racial integration in the American South, attributing it to a Jewish conspiracy, a stance that complicated efforts to secure Pound’s release from detention.

After moving to Washington, D.C., Kasper founded a publishing firm dedicated to Pound and other authors such as Charles Olson. In response to the Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, he organized the Seaboard Citizens Council aimed at resisting desegregation in the capital.

During the 1970s, Kasper returned to Merchantville and worked as an accountant for a railway company. He had a daughter born in 1978 before relocating once more. Later years saw him living in Florida and North Carolina; he married in 1992 and fathered another child in 1995 prior to passing away in 1998.

Defense of segregation

Kasper came into the public spotlight amid the integration crisis at Clinton High School in Clinton, Tennessee, where he rallied segregationist opponents and was arrested during ensuing disturbances. He was acquitted of charges including inciting a riot and sedition; notably, members of the auxiliary police were part of the jury, and the courtroom erupted with applause following the verdict.

Subsequently, Kasper emerged as a prominent figure at similar demonstrations throughout the Southern United States, though often met with hostility. He faced multiple incarcerations for offenses such as inciting riots and loitering. While suspected of involvement in several bombings targeting a school and synagogues, no concrete evidence connected him directly to these incidents. Kasper was known for his vehement antisemitism.

In 1956, after defying a court injunction ordering him to stop obstructing desegregation efforts, Kasper was detained along with fifteen other segregationists. The following year, he was convicted of contempt of court and sentenced to one year behind bars. During his trial, his ally Joe Diehl distributed antisemitic pamphlets and was imprisoned for contempt after clashing with the prosecutor.

Among the sixteen segregationists arrested, one died in a mental institution while charges against four others were dismissed. In 1957, Kasper and six associates were found guilty of contempt in a consolidated trial; Kasper received an additional six-month sentence whereas others were placed on probation. The presiding judge identified Kasper as the chief instigator responsible for their prosecution.

After unsuccessful appeals, Kasper commenced serving his sentence in November 1957. He reported being "treated fine" during incarceration but observed that the prison population was "fully integrated." To prevent a Ku Klux Klan event planned at his initial release location, authorities transferred him to a different penitentiary. At this time, Klan leader James W. "Catfish" Cole had gained infamy for violent confrontations with Native American groups disrupting Klan assemblies.

In November 1958, Kasper was convicted of inciting a riot in Nashville and sentenced to six months in a workhouse along with a $500 fine. He began serving this term in July 1959 and suffered an assault by an African American inmate while imprisoned. In January 1960, upon reporting to Davidson County Jail for his state sentence, he raised concerns about racial tensions within the integrated facility and was subsequently permitted to serve time in segregated quarters. Kasper was released on July 15, 1960.

Following his release, Kasper promoted a return to Constitutionalism and advocated establishing a third political party opposing racial integration, criticizing both dominant parties for endorsing it. He affiliated with the National States' Rights Party and ran as a candidate in the 1964 United States presidential election alongside J.B. Stoner as his vice-presidential nominee; their campaign attracted limited support—totaling 6,434 votes solely from Kentucky and Arkansas.

Later life and death

In 1967, Kasper moved back to his northern hometown, stepping away from his political career to dedicate more time to his family and take on several administrative positions, ultimately serving as an auditor for TTX. He passed away on April 7, 1998, at the age of 68, following a boating accident in which his vessel overturned. He left behind his wife, Tram Houng, along with their three children.

External links

FBI records on John Kasper obtained via the FOIA and accessible through the Internet Archive

Life

Defense of segregation

Later life and death

External links

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