Free Society of Teutonia
| Merged into | Friends of New Germany |
|---|---|
| Formation | October 1924 |
| Extinction | October 1932 |
| Headquarters | Chicago, United States |
|
Membership
|
500 (1932) |
| Leader | Fritz Gissibl |
The Free Society of Teutonia was one of the earliest National Socialist organizations to appear in America. It was a German American organization that was associated with a strong support for Nazism.
The Society was formed in 1924 by four German immigrants, including Nazi Party members Fritz and Peter Gissibl and their brother Andrew. The organization was originally led by German immigrant and non-citizen Fritz Gissibl, who made his headquarters in Chicago and from there it set about recruiting ethnic Germans who supported German nationalist aims. The Teutonia Society initially functioned as a club, but soon raised a group of militants based on the SA and, with membership increasing, became vocal critics of Jews, communism and the Treaty of Versailles. Alongside this however it retained a social function, with Teutonia Society meetings frequently ending up in heavy beer drinking sessions.
The group changed its name to the Nationalistic Society of Teutonia in 1926, at which point Peter Gissibil was advising members to also seek Nazi Party membership. The group gained a strong, if fairly small following, and was able to establish units in Milwaukee, St. Louis, Missouri, Detroit, New York City, Cincinnati and Newark, New Jersey The group's treasurer was Fritz Gissibil, who was also the main Nazi Party representative in the United States and who regularly collected money for the Nazis through the Society. A "thank you" letter from Adolf Hitler to the Society would cause a stir during the Second World War when the Gissibil brothers were brought to trial following an FBI investigation.
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