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Revision as of 21:16, 5 February 2004 by Dori (talk | contribs) (fmt)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)David Duke (Tulsa, Oklahoma July 13, 1950) is a right-wing nationalist politican in the United States. He is also a former leader of the Ku Klux Klan, Louisiana State Represenative, Louisiana Senate and Gubentorial candidate and two time candidate for President of the United States.
David Duke was born in Oklahoma but his family moved at an early age and after a short period of living in the Netherlands, settled in Louisiana. He became interested in the white nationalist movement at an early age and in 1967 at the age of 17 joined the Ku Klux Klan. Duke went on to study at Louisiana State University and in 1970 formed a nationalist campus group known as the White Youth Alliance. He was involved in the campus ROTC and a year later he went to Laos and tought English to Laotian military officers. Duke returned to LSU and graduated in 1974. That same year he was elected to Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. He became famous for trying to modernize the Klan and turn it into a modern nationalist political force. Some examples are changing the title of Grand Wizard to National Director and wearing a suit as opposed to the traditional white robe. In 1978 he left the Klan and two years later formed the National Association for the Advancement of White People. In 1988 he ran in the Democratic primary for candidate of the President of the United States. After losing he ran in 1989 and was elected to the Louisiana State Legislature. A year later Duke won the Republican nomination for candidate for Governor. Duke lost the election but declared "I won my constituency. I won 55% of the white vote." In 1998 he published his autobiography My Awakening: A Path to Racial Understanding. In 2002 Duke travels to eastern Europe to promote his book and receives an honorary Doctorate from the University of Kiev in Ukraine. While he was away Duke is charged with tax evasion from his 1998 income taxes and in 2002 pleaded guilty in a plea bargon. Duke was sentenced to 15 months in prision.