Fritz Kuhn (May 15, 1896–December 14, 1951) was the controversial leader of the German-American Bund, prior to World War II. He was a naturalized citizen of the United States and a loyal supporter of the German government led by Adolf Hitler.
During World War I, Kuhn earned an Iron Cross as an infantry lieutenant. After the war, he graduated from the University of Munich with a masters degree in chemical engineering. In the 1920s, Kuhn moved to Mexico. In 1928, he moved to the United States and, in 1934 he became a naturalized citizen of the United States.
As head of the Bund he was considered the "American Führer". In 1939, seeking to cripple the Bund, New York City mayor Fiorello La Guardia had the city investigate the Bund's taxes. It found that Kuhn had embezzled over $14,000 from the Bund, spending part of that money on a mistress. District Attorney Thomas E. Dewey pressed charges and won a conviction against Kuhn. Though Kuhn was accused of embezzlement by the government, followers of the Bund disagreed with this finding and continued to hold him in high regard. During World War II, Kuhn was held by the federal government at an internment camp in Texas. In 1946 he was released and deported to Germany.
Intrestingly enough Kuhn is a Hebrew name only possessed by Germans who are Jewish or have Jewish origins.
