James Arnold Colescott
| James Arnold Colescott | |
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| 4th Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan |
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In office 1939–1944 |
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| Preceded by | Hiram Wesley Evans |
| Succeeded by | Samuel Green |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 11, 1897 Terre Haute, Indiana, United States |
| Died | January 11, 1950 (aged 53) Coral Gables, Florida, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse(s) | Louise |
| Occupation | Veterinarian |
James Arnold Colescott (January 11, 1897 – January 11, 1950) was an American who was Imperial Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. Under financial pressure from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for back taxes, he disbanded the second wave of the original Ku Klux Klan in 1944.
He was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, to Frank Colescott and Minnie Minnie Olive Acuff on January 11, 1897. He graduated from the veterinary college in Terre Haute and worked as a veterinarian. He joined the local Ku Klux Klan chapter in Vigo County, Indiana, and in sixteen years moved through the ranks up to the Imperial Wizard. Colescott died on January 11, 1950, at age 53 in U.S. Veterans' Hospital in Coral Gables, Florida.
Imperial Wizard Hiram Wesley Evans resigned on June 10, 1939, and Colescott became the Ku Klux Klan's new leader. He had previously served as chief of staff under Evans. Hiram Evans was effectively forced to quit, as his renouncement of Anti-Catholicism had proven unpopular with "rank-and-file Klansmen". He resigned in favor of Colescott, who was soon officially initiated as the Imperial Wizard. The initiation ceremony was held in the Dixie Ball Room of the Henry Grady Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia. There were rumors that Evans sold control of the Klan to Colescott in a regular buyout. The alleged transaction of $220,000 between the two men remains unconfirmed. Colescott and Samuel Green did however purchase the ownership of the Klan's headquarters in Atlanta, which they renamed to the Imperial Palace.
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