William Joseph Simmons
Activist
Inspired by the seminal film The Birth of a Nation, he revived the fledgling Ku Klux Klan group and led it to prominence.
He was convalescing after a car accident when he saw The Birth of a Nation and decided to rebuild the Klan.
As the Klan grew more violent, he was called to testify before the U.S. House of Representatives.
His father was a physician, so he studied medicine for a short time.
D.W. Griffith directed The Birth of a Nation, which depicted the burning cross symbol that his Klan used.