Ben Klassen
| Ben Klassen | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Religion | Creativity |
| Personal | |
| Nationality | American |
| Born | Bernhardt Klassen February 20, 1918 Rudnerweide, Ukrainian People's Republic |
| Died | August 6, 1993 (aged 75) Otto, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Resting place | Otto, North Carolina, U.S. 35°03′36″N 83°23′16″W / 35.0600921°N 83.3876547°W |
| Senior posting | |
| Title | Pontifex Maximus |
| Period in office | 1973–93 |
| Predecessor | None (founded religion) |
| Successor | Richard McCarty |
| Religious career | |
| Works | See bibliography |
| Occupation | Religious leader, writer |
|---|---|
| Language | English, German, Plautdietsch |
| Nationality | American |
| Education |
Saskatoon Normal School, Superior First Class Teacher's Certificate; University of Saskatchewan, B.A., 1943; University of Manitoba, B.Sc.E.E., 1943, Canada ROTC; Rosthern Junior College |
| Subject | Racism, religion |
| Spouse | Henrie Etta Klassen (née McWilliams) |
| Children | Kim Anita Klassen |
Bernhardt (or Bernhard) "Ben" Klassen February 20, 1918 (O.S. February 7, 1918) – August 6, 1993) was a self-described white supremacist and an American religious leader who founded the Church of the Creator with the publication of his book Nature's Eternal Religion in 1973.
At one point Klassen was also a Florida state legislator as a Republican, as well as a supporter of George Wallace's presidential campaign. In addition to his religious and political work, Klassen was an electrical engineer and was the inventor of a wall-mounted electric can-opener.
Klassen was born on February 20, 1918, in Rudnerweide (now Rozivka in Chernihivka Raion in Zaporizhia Oblast), Ukraine, to Bernhard and Susanna Klassen, a Mennonite Christian couple. He had two sisters and two brothers. When Klassen was nine months old, he caught typhoid fever and nearly died. His earliest memories were of the famine of 1921–22. He remembered his father rationing to him one slice of dark bread for dinner. Klassen was first introduced to religion at the age of "three or four". When he was five, the family moved to Mexico, where they lived for one year. In 1925, at age six, he moved with his family to Herschel, Saskatchewan, Canada. He attended the German-English Academy (now Rosthern Junior College).
Klassen established a real estate firm in Los Angeles in partnership with Ben Burke. Believing that his partner was prone to drinking and gambling, Klassen eventually bought him out and became sole proprietor. He hired several salesmen, including Merle Peek, who convinced him to buy large land development projects in Nevada. Klassen and Peek started a partnership called the Silver Springs Land Company, through which they founded the town of Silver Springs, Nevada. In 1952, Klassen sold his share of the company to Phillip Hess for $150,000 and retired.
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