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49-692: The current bridge, opened in 1982, was named in honor of former Virginia governor Mills E. Godwin Jr. , a prominent member of the Chuckatuck community. The 1982 structure replaced an earlier one built in 1928 by the James River Bridge Corporation as part of a three-bridge system privately funded to be paid for through toll revenues. The others were the original James River Bridge and the Crittenden Bridge (also known as

98-626: A "Stormtrooper Barracks" in an old mansion owned by the widow of Willis Kern in the Dominion Hills section of Arlington at what is now the Upton Hill Regional Park . After Rockwell's murder, the headquarters was moved again to one side of a duplex brick and concrete storefront at 2507 North Franklin Road which featured a swastika prominently mounted above the front door. This site was visible from busy Wilson Boulevard. Today,

147-475: A 1971 special election, against Democratic and Republican opposition; he ran as an independent for governor in 1973, as the Democrats failed to put up a candidate. Howell was a self-styled " populist ," but many conservatives saw him simply as a liberal whose push to the governor's office they believed had to be stopped. Former governor Godwin was persuaded to run again by conservative Republicans who saw him as

196-612: A highly unpopular move for some members, Koehl disbanded the party's paramilitary "Storm Troopers." On November 3, 1979, some members of the NSWPP and a Ku Klux Klan group attacked a Communist Workers' Party protest march in Greensboro, North Carolina . The group of neo-Nazis and Klansmen shot and killed five marchers . Forty Klansmen and neo-Nazis were involved in the shootings with sixteen Klansmen and neo-Nazis being arrested. The six strongest cases were brought to trial first, but

245-647: A long-time member and officer of the New Order, Martin Kerr assumed leadership and maintains the New Order website and organization. A former member of the original American Nazi Party, Rocky Suhayda , founded his own organization using the American Nazi Party name and has been active since at least 2008. Suhayda claims Rockwell as its founder despite no direct legal or financial link between it and Rockwell's legacy organization. The one connection between

294-585: A printing press, a "Lincoln Rockwell Book Store", and member living quarters on property nearby. The party began to experience ideological divisions among its followers as it entered the 1970s. In 1970, member Frank Collin , who was himself secretly the son of a Jewish father, broke away from the group and founded the National Socialist Party of America in Chicago , which became famous for its attempt to march through Skokie, Illinois , which

343-619: A spiritual resurrection of Nazism at a later date when the Aryan race would need it the most. These esoteric beliefs led to disputes with the World Union of National Socialists , which Rockwell had founded and whose leader, Danish neo-Nazi Povl Riis-Knudsen , had been appointed by Koehl. Undaunted, Koehl continued to recast the party as a new religion in formation. Public rallies were gradually phased out in favor of low-key gatherings which were held in private venues. On Labor Day 1979, in

392-414: Is also obtained through sales of books and other merchandise under an affiliate business, NS Publications of Wyandotte, Michigan . The NS Bulletin , a newsletter, is sent to supporters on a quarterly basis. The group holds occasional ceremonial gatherings at undisclosed private locations such as an annual observance of Hitler's birthday each April 20. New Order's Chief of Staff, Martin Kerr , claims that

441-525: Is based largely upon the ideals and policies of Adolf Hitler 's Nazi Party in Germany during the Nazi era , and embraced its uniforms and iconography . Shortly after Rockwell's murder in 1967, the organization appointed Rockwell's second in command, Deputy Commander Matt Koehl as the new leader. The American Nazi Party, now under Koehl's command, was subject to ideological disagreements between members in

490-622: The Civil Rights Act of that year. In 1965, Godwin took the Democratic nomination for governor unopposed, without a primary election . His support of President Johnson the previous year, however, lost him the support of the most die-hard segregationists, who bolted from the Democratic Party to support William J. Story Jr., the candidate of the short-lived Conservative Party of Virginia . Godwin's bid for governor in 1965

539-409: The World Union of Free Enterprise National Socialists ( WUFENS ), a name to denote opposition to state ownership of property, the same year—it was renamed the American Nazi Party in order to attract 'maximum media attention'. Since the late 1960s, a number of small groups have used the name "American Nazi Party" with most being independent of each other and disbanding before the 21st century. The party

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588-424: The 1960s, he was one of many Byrd Democrats who distanced themselves from the extreme positions of Senator Harry F. Byrd Sr. and concluded that obstinate resistance to integration could not continue. With an eye to the 1965 gubernatorial race, Godwin reached out to African American voters during the 1964 presidential campaign by campaigning for President Lyndon B. Johnson , who had led the movement for enactment of

637-684: The 1970s and 1980s. "In 1982, Martin Kerr, a leader at the Franklin Road headquarters, announced that the organization was changing its name to the New Order and moving to the Midwest", effective January 1, 1983. Due to recruitment issues along with financial and legal trouble, Koehl was forced to relocate the group's headquarters from the DC area, eventually finding his way to scattered locations in Wisconsin and Michigan . After Koehl's death in 2014,

686-520: The Advancement of Colored People . Rockwell wanted a more "ecumenical" approach and felt that the swastika banner was impeding organizational growth. Rockwell was killed on August 25, 1967, before he could implement party reforms. Matt Koehl, a purist Neo-Nazi, succeeded Rockwell as the new leader and this ended the American Nazi Party. Thereafter, the members engaged in internecine disputes, and they were either expelled by Koehl or they resigned. After

735-694: The Becky Godwin Memorial Award is given annually to a senior selected by classmates, and Godwin Middle School in Prince William County . Amid much controversy in 2016. Godwin was a leader of the "massive resistance" movement, which used state laws to close schools rather than comply with federal orders to open them to black students. Godwin died in 1999, when he was 84, and never publicly apologized for his support of segregated schools. However, Godwin Middle School

784-654: The Chuckatuck Creek Bridge), each of which was also replaced with newer structures during the last quarter of the 20th century. 36°53′13″N 76°29′33″W  /  36.886936°N 76.492530°W  / 36.886936; -76.492530 This article about a bridge in Virginia is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Mills E. Godwin Jr. Mills Edwin Godwin Jr. (November 19, 1914 – January 30, 1999)

833-509: The Democratic Party. He managed the U.S. Senate campaign of Harry F. Byrd Jr. , who was running as an independent candidate. Godwin was denied a seat at the Democratic state convention in 1972, and he was a member in the Texas organization of " Democrats for Nixon ," supporting Republican Richard Nixon over the Democratic presidential nominee, George McGovern . Lieutenant Governor Henry Howell had been elected to his office as an independent in

882-508: The Dominion Hills Shopping Center, a former follower named John Patler shot Rockwell from the roof of the building. Patler fired two bullets into Rockwell's car through the windshield. One missed, the other hit his chest and ruptured his heart. His car rolled backward to a stop and Rockwell staggered out of the front passenger side door of the car, stood briefly while pointing upward at the strip mall's rooftop where

931-479: The Franklin Road address is often misidentified as Rockwell's headquarters when in fact it was the successor organization's last physical address in Arlington (now a coffeehouse). Under Rockwell, the party embraced Nazi uniforms and iconography . After several years of living in impoverished conditions, Rockwell began to experience some financial success with paid speaking engagements at universities where he

980-409: The New Order operates quietly far from the public spotlight, eschewing the confrontational public rallies that were once a hallmark of its previous incarnations. It maintains a web page and a Milwaukee, Wisconsin , post office box providing information and template material promoting Nazism. It has no members but rather "registered supporters" who pledge to mail in donations on a monthly basis. Financing

1029-511: The bid of President Gerald R. Ford Jr. , for the Republican presidential nomination, against challenger Ronald Reagan . The Virginia Republican Party convention of that year, however, elected a largely pro-Reagan delegation to the 1976 Republican National Convention , although as a courtesy Godwin was designated as co-chairman of the delegation (but was required to share the co-chairmanship with Reagan supporter Richard D. Obenshain ). After

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1078-465: The campus of James Madison University was completed in 1972 and was dedicated in honor of Godwin and his wife Katherine, who was a graduate of the university. American Nazi Party The American Nazi Party ( ANP ) is an American far-right and neo-Nazi political party founded by George Lincoln Rockwell and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia . The organization was originally named

1127-897: The end of his second gubernatorial term, Godwin worked behind the scenes in the Virginia Republican Party until shortly before his death. His personal papers, including papers from his time as governor, are held by the Special Collections Research Center at the College of William & Mary . His executive papers from his time as governor are held by the Library of Virginia . He married Katherine Thomas Beale of Holland , also in Nansemond County. They adopted one child, Becky Godwin (1954–1968). In August 1968, while Governor Godwin

1176-553: The grounds that the people in the area "are not people looking to join revolutionary organizations", saying that it was moving to an area in the Midwest which it would not reveal for security reasons. The name change reflected the group's Nazi mysticism and it was still known by that name in 2010. The organization briefly attracted the media's attention in October 1983, when it held a private meeting at Yorktown High School in Arlington, Virginia. A non-uniformed gathering of members

1225-417: The group is no longer a white supremacist group and focuses on advocating "in favor of [white] people, not against other races or ethnicities...we consider the white people of the world to be a gigantic family of racial brothers and sisters, united by ties of common ancestry and common heritage. Being for our own family does not mean that we hate other families." The SPLC still classifies them as neo-Nazis and as

1274-593: The group's headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. Koehl ceased printing the organization's White Power newspaper, sold its Arlington, Virginia, real estate holdings, and dispersed the group's various operations to scattered locations in Wisconsin and Michigan . A secluded 88-acre (360,000 m ) rural property called "Nordland" was purchased in New Berlin, Wisconsin , to serve as living quarters and to host annual meetings and ceremonial events. The Koehl organization changed its name to New Order on January 1, 1983, on

1323-605: The height of Rockwell's profile. He was interviewed by Playboy magazine, an event that stirred controversy within the ranks. At the time Rockwell had about 500 followers. In 1966 or 1967, Rockwell renamed the ANP the National Socialist White People's Party ( NSWPP ), a move that alienated some hard-line members. The new name was a "conscious imitation" of the National Association for

1372-401: The incident an "uncalled for, unprovoked assault." An assassination attempt was made on Rockwell on June 28, 1967. As Rockwell returned from shopping, he drove into the long driveway of the "Stormtrooper Barracks" located in Arlington's Dominion Hills subdivision and found it blocked by a fallen tree and brush. Rockwell assumed that it was another prank by local teens. As a party member cleared

1421-794: The modern city of Suffolk. It was the last of the cities of Hampton Roads to take their current form during a wave of political consolidations which began in 1952. Godwin died in 1999 of pneumonia and is buried in Cedar Hill Cemetery in Suffolk. His boyhood home, the Godwin–Knight House , was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. Two schools in Virginia were named for him, including Mills E. Godwin High School in suburban Henrico , where

1470-478: The most likely candidate to beat Howell. Although Godwin sought and won the Republican nomination, he did not declare that he had personally switched his party affiliation until his speech to the Republican convention in which he accepted his nomination "as one of you." Godwin narrowly defeated Howell by a margin of 15,000 votes, a 50.7% to 49.3% margin, to win his second term. Virginia law prohibits incumbent governors for running for consecutive reelection; Godwin became

1519-650: The murder of Rockwell, the party dissipated and ad hoc organizations usurped the American Nazi Party logo. Those included James Burford in Chicago and John Bishop in Iowa. In 1962, ANP member Roy James was sentenced to 30 days in jail and fined $ 25 for punching Martin Luther King Jr. , after pleading guilty to charge of assault and battery and disorderly conduct. King had not wanted to press charges, but Birmingham Judge Charles H. Brown insisted on trying James, calling

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1568-566: The obstruction, two shots were fired at Rockwell from behind one of the swastika-embossed brick driveway pillars. One of the shots ricocheted off the car, right next to his head. Leaping from the car, Rockwell pursued the gunman. On June 30, Rockwell petitioned the Arlington County Circuit Court for a gun permit; no action was ever taken on his request. On August 25, 1967, as Rockwell left the Econowash laundromat at

1617-518: The only Virginia governor to be elected to two terms in the 20th century. In another historic note, Godwin became the last governor of Virginia for 40 years whose party held the Presidency at the time of election, a distinction that ended with the election of Democrat Terry McAuliffe as governor in 2013. As governor, Godwin abandoned the state's "pay as you go" fiscal policy, which Virginia had followed since Harry F. Byrd 's governorship, by having

1666-438: The original American Nazi Party and Rocky Suhayda's group besides ideology is that they sell reprints of Rockwell's 1960s-era magazine The Stormtrooper on their website . The WUFENS headquarters was located in a residence on Williamsburg Boulevard in Arlington , but was moved as the ANP headquarters to a house at 928 North Randolph Street (now a hotel and office building site). Rockwell and some party members also established

1715-500: The positive aspects of Nazism and the glories of a future all-white society. Koehl retained the swastika-festooned party literature and the pseudo-Nazi uniforms of the party's "Storm Troopers" which were modeled on those worn by the Nazi Party 's Sturmabteilung . In 1968, Koehl moved the party to a new headquarters on 2507 North Franklin Road, clearly visible from Arlington 's main thoroughfare, Wilson Boulevard. He also established

1764-444: The shots had come from and then collapsed on the pavement. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Rockwell's second in command, Deputy Commander Matt Koehl , a staunch Hitlerist , assumed the leadership role after a council agreed that he should retain command. Koehl continued some of Rockwell's restructuring of the group by dropping the use of negative verbal and written attacks against racial minorities. Koehl also began emphasizing

1813-691: The state issue bonds to pay for capital projects. In December 1975, Governor Godwin ordered the James River and its tributaries closed to fishing from Richmond to the Chesapeake Bay. This order was the result of the improper handling and dumping of kepone into the James. Kepone is a chemical pesticide that was produced by Allied Signal Company in Hopewell, Virginia and caused a nationwide pollution controversy. In 1976, Governor Godwin supported

1862-558: The two criminal trials resulted in the acquittal of the defendants by all-white juries . However, in a 1985 civil lawsuit, the survivors won a $ 350,000 judgment against the city, the Klansmen, and the neo-Nazis after they were all found guilty of violating the civil rights of the demonstrators. The shootings became known as the " Greensboro Massacre ." In 1982 the Internal Revenue Service took action to foreclose on

1911-491: Was an American politician who was the 60th and 62nd governor of Virginia for two non-consecutive terms, from 1966 to 1970 and from 1974 to 1978. Godwin was the first person to be elected governor of any state as a Democrat and a Republican . He was the last Virginia governor elected as a part of the Byrd Machine , the conservative Democratic establishment that dominated the state's politics for over three decades. He

1960-629: Was attending the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, Becky and her mother were vacationing at the Oceanfront area of Virginia Beach when Becky was killed in a lightning accident. The family resided in Godwin's hometown of Chuckatuck. In 1972, Nansemond County, including Chuckatuck, became the independent city of Nansemond . Only two years later, in 1974, Nansemond merged with neighboring Suffolk to form

2009-826: Was demolished in early 2010 as a modern student center opened on campus. The Godwin Building on the Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale campus is also named for him. A Becky Godwin Memorial Scholarship is also given to college students at Godwin's former church, Oakland Christian Church, in Chuckatuck, Virginia. The church also dedicated a section of the church to Godwin known as the Godwin Building. Godwin Hall on

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2058-669: Was educated at Old Dominion University and also received an LL.B. degree at the University of Virginia . Godwin served in the Senate of Virginia between 1952 and 1962 and was the lieutenant governor between 1962 and 1966. In the state senate, Godwin was one of the leaders of the segregationist policy of " massive resistance ", which aimed to prevent the implementation of federal court decisions under Brown v. Board of Education requiring that black students be admitted to white schools. However, during Virginia's cultural transition in

2107-553: Was endorsed by the local affiliates of both the NAACP and the AFL–CIO . Despite the third-party challenge, Godwin defeated Republican Linwood Holton (who would succeed him as governor in 1970) by a 48%-36% margin, with Story winning 13 percent of the vote. ( American Nazi Party leader George Lincoln Rockwell , running as an independent, won 1.02 percent of the vote.) After his first term ended in 1970, Godwin began to separate himself from

2156-480: Was held indoors while the police kept a crowd of counter-protesters at bay outside. This event marked the last publicized appearance of Koehl and the New Order in Arlington. From that point forward the only outward sign that the group was still operational was the annual appearance of the swastika and Betsy Ross American Revolutionary War flags flying from the party's nondescript headquarters building on North Franklin Road every April 20 ( Hitler's birthday ). Today

2205-573: Was home to many Holocaust survivors. This led to the United States Supreme Court case, National Socialist Party of America v. Village of Skokie . Other dissatisfied members of the NSWPP chose to support William Luther Pierce , and formed the National Alliance in 1974. Further membership erosion occurred as Koehl, drawing heavily upon the teachings of Hitlerian mystic Savitri Devi , began to suggest that Nazism

2254-490: Was invited to express his controversial views as exercises in free speech. This prompted him to end the rancorous "Phase One" party tactics and begin "Phase Two", a plan to recast the group as a legitimate political party by toning down the verbal and written attacks against non-whites, replacing the party rallying cry of " Sieg Heil !" with " White Power !", limiting public display of the swastika, and entering candidates in local elections. The years 1965 and 1967 were possibly

2303-425: Was more akin to a religious movement than a political one. He espoused the belief that Adolf Hitler was the gift of an inscrutable divine providence who had been sent to rescue the white race from decadence and gradual extinction which had been caused by a declining birth rate and miscegenation . Hitler's death in 1945 was viewed as a type of martyrdom ; a voluntary, Christ-like self-sacrifice, that looked forward to

2352-563: Was renamed George Hampton Middle School. Godwin Drive is located in the city of Manassas, Virginia . The administration building at Virginia Wesleyan University is named Katherine B. & Mills E. Godwin, Jr. Hall. The Psychology/Biology building on the campus of Old Dominion University is named Mills Godwin Life Science Building. The former student center at Norfolk State University was also named in his honor. The building

2401-568: Was succeeded by Linwood Holton , the first non-Democratic governor in over 80 years. By 1973, when he ran for a second term, Godwin had become a Republican, as the dominance of the Democrats in Virginia politics receded and the Byrd political machine had disintegrated. Godwin was born in the town of Chuckatuck in Nansemond County (now a neighborhood of Suffolk, Virginia ), the son of Otelia Margaret (Darden) and Mills Edwin Godwin. He

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