Lyndon Hermyle LaRouche Jr. was an American political activist and conspiracy theorist who founded the LaRouche movement and the National Caucus of Labor Committees. Born in Rochester, New Hampshire, LaRouche initially engaged with socialist and Marxist movements during the 1940s and 1950s, working as a management consultant while participating in Trotskyist groups. Over the subsequent decades, his political alignment shifted dramatically from the far-left to the far-right, ultimately embracing radical right-wing politics, antisemitism, and elaborate conspiracy theories.
Throughout his career, LaRouche was a perennial candidate for President of the United States, running in every election from 1976 to 2004. He ran under various third parties established by his followers and also attempted to secure the Democratic presidential nomination multiple times. Despite his movement's relatively small membership, it exerted significant political influence, raising millions of dollars and running thousands of candidates. The movement's electoral peak occurred in 1986 when LaRouche-aligned candidates won Democratic primaries in Illinois, causing significant alarm within the mainstream Democratic Party.
LaRouche's operations were frequently controversial and drew comparisons to a cult. His conspiracy theories included claims of assassination plots against him by figures such as Queen Elizabeth II and various intelligence agencies. In the late 1980s, federal investigations into his movement's activities led to multiple criminal convictions. LaRouche himself was convicted of fraud, serving five years of a fifteen-year prison sentence from 1989 to 1994.
