George Mische
George J. Mische (July 30, 1937 – May 4, 2026)[a]was an American Roman Catholic peace activist, best known for his part as one of the Catonsville Nine.[1] He was also one of the planners of the Milwaukee Fourteen.[2] On May 17, 1968, the group burned 378 1A draft cards with homemade napalm in a parking lot just outside the draft board office in Catonsville, Maryland.[3] Mische was one of the key organizers, and he has spent some energy in the ensuing decades correcting popular myths about the story.[4]
Early life and education
George Joseph Mische was born July 30, 1937, in St. Cloud, Minnesota to Cecelia and Louis Mische, and was one of five boys.[5] His father was a German immigrant and labor organizer who worked at a veterans' hospital, and had nearly been deported when he was accused of being a communist.[3] Two of Mische's brothers were also activists. Gerald F. Mische co-founded the Catholic-based Association for International Development in 1957.[6] Another brother founded a Catholic Worker house in Chicago.[3] George Mische spent time among the wounded and emotionally broken veterans at the hospital, and developed his anti-war stance.[7] He attended St. Cloud State College, dropping out after one quarter, and then joined the U. S. Army in 1955.[8] He was discharged in 1960 and first attended the Jesuit St. Peter's College, followed by Gannon College, graduating in 1963.[9]
Mische died on May 4, 2026, at the age of 88.[10]
Notes
- [a] - Mische's birth year has been listed as 1938 by Digital Maryland, but the vast majority of sources give 1937 as his year of birth[11]
References
- Back to citation Peters, Dave (May 14, 1978). "George Mische - From Catonsville 9 To the St. Cloud City Council". The Washington Post.
- Back to citation Sadowski, Dennis (September 1, 2018). "After 50 years, draft board protesters insist what they did was right". National Catholic Reporter.
- Back to citation occurrence 3.0 Back to citation occurrence 3.1 Back to citation occurrence 3.2 Peters, Shawn Francis (2012). The Catonsville Nine: A Story of Faith and Resistance in the Vietnam Era. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-19-982785-5.
- Back to citation Mische, George (May 17, 2013). "Inattention to Accuracy about 'Catonsville Nine' Distorts History". National Catholic Reporter.
- Back to citation Minnesota, U.S., Birth Index, 1935-2004.
- Back to citation Judkins, Jr., William F. (September 21, 1957). "Lay Missionaries Begin Training at Paterson". The Catholic Advocate. Vol. 6, no. 36. p. 11.
- Back to citation Berrigan, Daniel (1971). The Trial of the Catonsville Nine: A Play. New York: Samuel French, Inc. p. 13. ISBN 978-0-573-61699-0.
- Back to citation "Vietnam Era Oral History Project: Oral History Interview With George Mische, September 28, 2018". Minnesota Historical Society.
- Back to citation Lance (yearbook). Erie, Pennsylvania: Gannon College. 1963.
- Back to citation "George Mische Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information". www.washburn-mcreavy.com. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
- Back to citation Julius, Marilyn (2005). "Fire and Faith: The Catonsville Nine File". Enoch Pratt Free Library via Digital Maryland. Retrieved July 6, 2026.