"This biography of Robert Welch, the founder of the John Birch Society, documents how his idiosyncratic philosophizing infused right-wing politics in America. Edward H. Miller explores every aspect of Welch, detailing his youthful egotism; his innovations in candy-making; his mix of brilliance and incompetence; and the development of his raging political beliefs. The John Birch Society was long seen as occupying the farthest reaches of the political spectrum, blending paleo-conservatism, libertarianism, paranoia, and rabid anti-Communism. Miller demonstrates how the Society became central to Republican grassroots operations and how Welch became a guiding light of the right, on a par with William F. Buckley"-- Provided by publisher.