Pierce, William L (1933–2002)

US author and revolutionary. Viewed as an intellectual leader of the US far right, he authored The Turner Diaries (1978), which is regarded as the novel that influenced the Oklahoma City bomber, Timothy McVeigh. An ultra-rightwing novel, it recounts the experiences of Earl Turner, a leader of an underground guerrilla force (the Organization) that engages in a campaign of terrorism against a ‘Jewish-controlled’ US government.

Born in Atlanta, Pierce was employed at Oregon State University as an assistant professor of physics 1962–65. After joining a number of other far-right groups, he founded the National Alliance in 1974, an Arlington-based group devoted to promoting the progress of the white race.