Robert Boliver DePugh (April 15, 1923 – June 30, 2009) was an American

anti-communist Anti-communism is Political movement, political and Ideology, ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, w ...

activist who founded the

Minutemen Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Mi ...

militant The English word ''militant'' is both an adjective and a noun, and it is generally used to mean vigorously active, combative and/or aggressive, especially in support of a cause, as in "militant reformers". It comes from the 15th century Latin " ...

anti-Communist organization in 1961.

Life and career

DePugh was born in

Independence, Missouri Independence is the fifth-largest city in Missouri and the county seat of Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson County. Independence is a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the largest suburb on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metro ...

, where his father served as deputy sheriff.Hamilton, Neil A. (1996). ''Militias in America: A Reference Handbook.'' ABC-CLIO, He enlisted in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, but he was dismissed for nervousness and depression. He attended

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...

for a few months before dropping out. DePugh founded a veterinary drug firm in 1953 that folded in 1956. He enrolled at

Washburn University Washburn University (WU) is a public university in Topeka, Kansas, United States. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and business. Washburn has 550 faculty members, who teach more than 6,100 u ...

briefly, then started BioLab, another veterinary drug firm, in

Norborne, Missouri Norborne is a city in southwest Carroll County, Missouri, Carroll County, Missouri, United States. The population was 634 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Norborne was founded in 1868 by Norborne B. Coats, a civil engineer for the r ...

, which was more successful.http://www.nizkor.org/hweb/orgs/american/adl/paranoia-as-patriotism/minutemen.html "Robert DePugh and The Minutemen" In addition to veterinary products, the company produces a malt-flavored ultra-compact storage food for humans called Minuteman Survival Tabs.http://www.survivaltabs.com/tabs-story.html Some 45 years later, this product is still used in survivalist circles. He became a member of the

John Birch Society The John Birch Society (JBS) is an American right-wing political advocacy group. Founded in 1958, it is anti-communist, supports social conservatism, and is associated with ultraconservative, radical right, far-right, or libertarian ideas. T ...

,Marks, Kathy; Adolfo Caso (1996). ''Faces of Right Wing Extremism'' Branden Books, and according to a biography he was influenced by the

House Un-American Activities Committee The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly dubbed the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 1938 to investigate alleged disloy ...

. DePugh published a 10-page

pamphlet A pamphlet is an unbound book (that is, without a hard cover or binding). Pamphlets may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths, called a ''leaflet'' or it may consist of a ...

guerilla warfare Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tac ...

via the Minutemen in 1961.Barth, Alan (November 26, 1961). Report on the 'Rampageous Right'; Today's tensions have led to a proliferation of 'conservative extremists.' ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' The Minutemen's newsletter was called ''On Target''. He was a founder of the

Patriotic Party , colorcode = #E4433E , leader1_title = Leaders , leader1_name = Ignacy PotockiAdam Kazimierz Czartoryski Stanisław Małachowski , foundation = , dissolution = , headquarters = Kraków , ideology = Pro-ReformConstitution ...

in 1966.Hamilton, Neil A. (2002). ''Rebels and Renegades: A Chronology of Social and Political Dissent in the United States''. Taylor & Francis, In 1966, DePugh was arrested on federal weapons charges, which were later dismissed.

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

(September 14, 1966). Arms Charge Is Dismissed Against Head of Minutemen. ''

'' Their offices were bombed in 1967,Staff report (September 1, 1967). Dynamite Wrecks Office Of Leader of Minutemen and DePugh. ''

'' and DePugh resigned from the Minutemen in 1967. In February 1968, he was indicted by a federal

grand jury A grand jury is a jury—a group of citizens—empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a pe ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, Washington for

conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, is a secret plan or agreement between persons (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder or treason, especially with political motivation, while keeping their agree ...

to commit bank robbery. Also in 1968, he was arrested for violation of federal firearms laws. He skipped bail and went underground for over a year until he was caught in 1969 in

Truth or Consequences, New Mexico Truth or Consequences (often abbreviated as T or C) is a city in New Mexico, and the county seat of Sierra County. In 2020, the population was 6,052. It has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names for having chosen to rename itse ...

. He was convicted in 1970 and released from prison in May 1973. DePugh later wrote an anti-communist quasi- survivalist manual, ''Can You Survive?'', and was associated briefly with

Liberty Lobby Liberty Lobby was a far-right think tank and lobby group founded in 1958 by Willis Carto. Carto was known for his promotion of antisemitic conspiracy theories, white nationalism, and Holocaust denial. The organization produced a daily five-min ...

."Robert DePugh and The Minutemen"
at the Nizkor Project In the 1980s, DePugh became involved in the Identity Christianity movement. In the early 1990s he was tried but acquitted on a morals and

pornography Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults,

charge with an underage girlGreaney, TJ (August 6, 2009). Minuteman outlasted notoriety, died with regrets'. ''

Columbia Daily Tribune The ''Columbia Daily Tribune'', commonly referred to as the ''Columbia Tribune'' or the ''Tribune'', is one of two daily newspapers in Columbia, Missouri, the other being the '' Columbia Missourian''. It is the only daily newspaper in Columbia who ...

'' and on three counts of federal firearms violations.Jackman, Tom (February 21, 1992). DePugh convicted on gun charges: Jury not swayed by testimony of son that the weapons were his. ''

Kansas City Star ''The Kansas City Star'' is a newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Star'' is most notable for its influence on the career of President Harry S. Truman and as ...

'' DePugh eventually grew disgusted with all politics and retired from activism. He died on June 30, 2009, at his home in

Richmond, Missouri Richmond is a city in Ray County, Missouri, and part of the Kansas City metropolitan area within the United States. The population was 6,013 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Ray County. History Richmond was platted in 1828. The comm ...

.Staff report (June 2009)
Area obituaries: "Bob" DePugh.
''Excelsior Springs Standard''

Selected publications

*''Blueprint for Victory'', Robert DePugh. 1966. *''Can You Survive?'' Robert DePugh. Published by Desert Publications, El Dorado, AZ, 1973. 214 pages. *''Traitors Beware: A History Of Robert Depugh's Minutemen'', by Eric Beckemeier. 2008. .

References

External links

via the Nizkor Project *

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...

files on the Minutemen and DePugh, obtained under the FOIA and hosted at the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Depugh, Robert 1923 births 2009 deaths American anti-communists People from Independence, Missouri American bank robbers Christian Identity John Birch Society members People from Richmond, Missouri United States Army personnel of World War II