William Penn Patrick

For other individuals of the same name, see William Patrick (disambiguation).
William Penn Patrick
Born(1930-03-31)March 31, 1930[1][2]
Lees Mill Township, Washington County, North Carolina, United States
DiedJune 9, 1973(1973-06-09) (aged 43)
Clearlake Oaks, California, United States[2][3]
Cause of deathPlane crash
OccupationBusinessman
Known forOwner, Holiday Magic, Leadership Dynamics, Mind Dynamics
Political partyRepublican

William Penn Patrick (March 31, 1930 – June 9, 1973) was an American entrepreneur, businessman, and fraudster. He was the owner of Holiday Magic, Leadership Dynamics, and Mind Dynamics. Patrick was a proponent of the sour grapes philosophy, and has been widely quoted as stating: "Those who condemn wealth are those who have none and see no chance of getting it."[4]

Patrick tried unsuccessfully to enter politics, first running against Ronald Reagan for the Republican nomination for governor of California, and was later nominated by the California Theocratic Party for Vice President of the United States.[citation needed] Patrick was a member of the John Birch Society.[5]

In 1972 an F-86 Sabre jet, owned by Patrick, crashed into an ice cream parlor in Sacramento, killing 22 people on the ground. Patrick was not the pilot at that time, but a year later he died in a crash in his P-51D Mustang in Lakeport, California.

Political career

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Patrick sought out the Republican nomination for governor of California, in 1966.[6] Patrick alleged that a pollster, Mervin Field, had accepted money to influence a poll in the campaign.[7] Mervin Field sued Patrick for libel, for damages of US$4 million, and was awarded US$300,000.[7] Patrick finished in 4th place in the primary election with 1.87% of the vote and lost the nomination to Ronald Reagan.[8] The New Republic described Patrick's campaign strategy as that of "out-Reaganing Ronald Reagan".[9] In 1967, Patrick formed a fundraising group to run for Thomas Kuchel's Senate seat.[10] Patrick was later nominated for Vice President of the United States, in 1967,[11] by the California Theocratic Party.[12] The Los Angeles Times referred to Patrick as the "strangest politician".[13] He was mainly popular among ultraconservative and ultra right political circles in California.[14]

Businessman and fraudster

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Patrick began his experience in sales selling products door-to-door in Illinois.[15] He was the owner of companies including Leadership Dynamics, a controversial company which was the first form of Large Group Awareness Training,[16] and Holiday Magic, a door-to-door cosmetics company[17] later termed by the United States Federal government to be fraudulent.[18][19] Mind Dynamics was initially founded by Alexander Everett, and Patrick backed the company before buying it.[20][21] Patrick's companies were later investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission,[19] on allegations of pyramid schemes.[22] Leadership Dynamics folded amidst lawsuits and allegations of physical and sexual abuse.[23]

Death

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William Penn Patrick died on June 9, 1973, at age 43, in the crash of his privately owned P-51D Mustang[19][24] near his farm at Clearlake Oaks, California. He was flying the plane at the time; after making a low pass, he pulled up steeply, stalled, and entered a spin from which he did not recover. Although he was a certified pilot, he had only 154 hours of flight time in the P-51D, and only about four hours over the preceding three months.[25] He was flying with Christian George Hagert, 30, director of Holiday Magic of Helsinki, Finland, who also died in the crash.[26]

References

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  1. ^ North Carolina, Birth Index, 1800-2000
  2. ^ a b California, Death Index, 1940-1997
  3. ^ "NTSB Identification: OAK73FVG65". National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved 2013-03-21.
  4. ^ Parkinson, Judy (2000). From Hue & Cry to Humble Pie: Curious, Bizarre, and Incomprehensible Expressions Explained. Adam Hart-Davis, Foreword. Michael O'Mara Books. p. 153. ISBN 0-7607-3581-6.
  5. ^ Staff (May 25, 1967). "'Dove' Recall Move Started". St. Petersburg Times.
  6. ^ Staff (May 26, 1966). "Coast Candidate In Harlem to Ask Advice on Watts". The New York Times. p. 36.
  7. ^ a b Staff (July 24, 1970). "Pollster Gets $300,000 in Libel Case". The Washington Post. pp. Section: General.
  8. ^ Nofziger, Lyn; Gaylord B. Parkinson; William E. Roberts; Stuart K. Spencer; Gabrielle S. Morris; Sarah Lee Sharp (1980). Issues and Innovations in the 1966 Republican Gubernatorial Campaign: Interviews. Bancroft Library Regional Oral History Office, Governmental History Documentation Project. pp. Page 8.
  9. ^ Kopkind, Andrew (August 27, 1966). "Brennan v Tigar". The New Republic.
  10. ^ Staff (June 24, 1967). "2d Rightist May Try for Kuchel Seat". The Washington Post.
  11. ^ Kane, Joseph Nathan (1981). Facts about the Presidents: A Compilation of Biographical and Historical Information. H. W. Wilson. p. 272. ISBN 0-8242-0612-6.
  12. ^ Goldinger, Carolyn (1991). Presidential Elections Since 1789. Congressional Quarterly, inc. p. 91. ISBN 0-87187-609-4.
  13. ^ Staff (August 16, 1967). "Strangest Politician". The Los Angeles Times.
  14. ^ Turner, William W. (1971). Power on the Right. Ramparts. pp. 79, 124. ISBN 0-87867-003-3.
  15. ^ Pressman, Steven (1993). Outrageous Betrayal: The Dark Journey of Werner Erhard from est to Exile. St. Martin's Press. pp. Chapter: A Door to Door Mind Salesman.
  16. ^ Kilzer, Lou (July 18, 1999). "Desperate Measures Network of Behavior Modification Compounds Known as Teen Help Has Straightened Out Hundreds of Defiant Adolescents, But Its Methods Aren't For the Faint-hearted". Rocky Mountain News. E. W. Scripps Company.
    "The first of the genre psychologists call "large group awareness training" was the Leadership Dynamics Institute..."
  17. ^ Simon, Jane Fitz (July 5, 1988). "The Video Salesman Entrepreneur Sees Gold Mine in Selling Informational Videotapes Door-to-Door". The Boston Globe.
  18. ^ Staff (July 16, 1973). "Battling the Biggest Fraud". Time. pp. 2 pgs. Archived from the original on April 27, 2007.
    William Penn Patrick, a former mentor of Turner's, was charged last month by the Securities and Exchange Commission with bilking some 80,000 people out of more than $250 million through his Holiday Magic cosmetics and soap empire.
  19. ^ a b c 84 F.T.C. 748 Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine, IN THE MATTER OF HOLIDAY MAGIC, INC., ET AL. ORDER, ETC., IN REGARD TO ALLEGED VIOLATION OF SEC. 5 OF THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION ACT AND SEC. 2(a) OF THE CLAYTON ACT, Docket 8834., Complaint, Jan. 18, 1971, Decision, Oct. 15, 1974.
  20. ^ Bartley, William Warren (1988). Werner Erhard: The Transformation of a Man the Founding of EST. Clarkson Potter. pp. Page 177. ISBN 0-517-53502-5.
  21. ^ Lande, Nathaniel (1976). Mindstyles, Lifestyles: A Comprehensive Overview of Today's Life-changing Philosophies. Price/Stern/Sloan. pp. 143. ISBN 0-8431-0409-0.
  22. ^ Staff (March 25, 1976). "Judge Clouds Future of Surviving Pyramid". The Washington Post.
  23. ^ Langone, Michael (1989). "Beware of 'New Age' Solutions to Age Old Problems". Business and Society Review. 69: 39–42. Archived from the original on 2007-06-07. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
  24. ^ Staff (June 12, 1973). "Rites for Cosmetics Maker Slated Today in California". The Washington Post. Associated Press. pp. Obituaries.
  25. ^ NTSB brief OAK73FVG65 on Patrick's fatal crash. Archived June 20, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  26. ^ "The Crash at Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor in Sacramento, CA – September 24, 1972". Check Six. 2002. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
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