# Richard Friske

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**Richard W. Friske Sr.**[1][2] (June 16, 1923 – June 17, 2002) was a [Michigan](/source/Michigan) politician.

## Early life

Friske was born on June 16, 1923, in the [Second Polish Republic](/source/Second_Polish_Republic).[3][4][5] He came from a German family, and his father Ferdinand Friske had been deported to [internal exile](/source/Katorga) in [Siberia](/source/Siberia) by the [Russian Empire](/source/Russian_Empire) during [World War I](/source/World_War_I).[5]

After [Nazi Germany](/source/Nazi_Germany) [invaded Poland](/source/Invasion_of_Poland), Friske enlisted in the [Luftwaffe](/source/Luftwaffe) during [World War II](/source/World_War_II). He later denied any support of [Nazism](/source/Nazism), claiming that his family had been committedly opposed to the ideology and that if he had not joined the [Wehrmacht](/source/Wehrmacht), he would have been forced into the *[Schutzstaffel](/source/Schutzstaffel)*.[5]

After ending up in the [Soviet occupation zone of Germany](/source/Soviet_occupation_zone_of_Germany) at the end of the war, his family moved to the [British occupation zone](/source/British_occupation_zone_in_Germany). In 1952, Friske left [West Germany](/source/West_Germany) with his wife and settled in the [Midwestern United States](/source/Midwestern_United_States).[5] He initially moved to [Racine, Wisconsin](/source/Racine,_Wisconsin), but ultimately settled in [Boyne Falls, Michigan](/source/Boyne_Falls,_Michigan).[5] After managing a coal company, he sold it to found the 240-acre farm Friske Orchards near [Charlevoix, Michigan](/source/Charlevoix,_Michigan).[5] Friske also became a [Pentecostal](/source/Pentecostalism) lay minister.[5]

## Career

Friske entered politics during the [1968 United States presidential election](/source/1968_United_States_presidential_election), when he served as a campaign organizer for [George Wallace](/source/George_Wallace)’s [presidential campaign](/source/George_Wallace_1968_presidential_campaign). After appearing on a local [Traverse City](/source/Traverse_City,_Michigan) television station to promote Wallace, he was recruited by the far-right [John Birch Society](/source/John_Birch_Society).[5] Friske wrote letters to the *[Petoskey News-Review](/source/Petoskey_News-Review)* opposing the [Civil Rights Act of 1964](/source/Civil_Rights_Act_of_1964) and [school desegregation](/source/School_integration_in_the_United_States).[6]

On November 3, 1970, Friske was elected to the [Michigan House of Representatives](/source/Michigan_House_of_Representatives) where he represented the [106th district](/source/Michigan's_106th_House_of_Representatives_district) from January 13, 1971, to December 31, 1972. He defeated 10 candidates in the primary, and won because of extensive support from the John Birch Society outside the district despite his views on race and social issues being highly controversial.[7][6] In his campaign literature, he claimed to be a World War II veteran, without revealing that he had served as a German soldier fighting for the Third Reich.[8]

While serving in the Legislature, Friske supported [natalist](/source/Natalism) policies towards the middle-class and [population controls](/source/Population_control) for [welfare](/source/Social_programs_in_the_United_States) recipients, which he claimed would take the form of [abstinence-only sex education](/source/Abstinence-only_sex_education).[9] He spoke of the need to "curb the growth of the drone population that weakens our society" [10] He also accused Governor [William Milliken](/source/William_Milliken) of complicity in an “international satanic conspiracy planned for this nation and the world.”[6] He favored [religious right](/source/Religious_right_in_the_United_States) policies and opposed [abortion rights](/source/Abortion_rights_in_the_United_States), the [26th Amendment](/source/26th_Amendment_(U.S.)), and [police reform](/source/Police_reform_in_the_United_States).[7] He alleged that the [U.S. public education system](/source/Education_in_the_United_States) had been taken over by [socialists](/source/Socialism).[9][7] He claimed that “72 to 80 percent” of the U.S. economy had been taken over by Communists as a result of a deliberate conspiracy by Presidents [John F. Kennedy](/source/John_F._Kennedy), [Lyndon B. Johnson](/source/Lyndon_B._Johnson), and [Richard Nixon](/source/Richard_Nixon). He also argued that they had deliberately prolonged the [Vietnam War](/source/Vietnam_War) in order to raise [U.S. taxes](/source/Taxation_in_the_United_States) by supplying [North Vietnam](/source/North_Vietnam) through the [Polish People's Republic](/source/Polish_People's_Republic), and that the war could be won in six months.[5]

In 1972, Friske was defeated in the [Republican](/source/Republican_Party_(United_States)) primary for the same position. That [same year](/source/1972_United_States_House_of_Representatives_elections), Friske ran unsuccessfully for the [United States House of Representatives](/source/United_States_House_of_Representatives) seat representing [Michigan's 10th congressional district](/source/Michigan's_10th_congressional_district) as an [American Independent](/source/American_Independent_Party). Friske went on to be defeated in two more Republican primaries for the Michigan House of Representatives seat representing the 106th district in 1974 and 1976.[3][4]

## Political donations

In 1999, Friske donated $1,000 to the [Ku Klux Klan](/source/Ku_Klux_Klan)'s former Grand Wizard [David Duke](/source/David_Duke)'s campaign in the [1999 Louisiana's 1st congressional district special election](/source/1999_Louisiana's_1st_congressional_district_special_election).[11]

## Personal life

Friske married Olga Kottke on November 11, 1950, in Germany.[2] Friske had three children, Judy, Dick Jr., and [Neil Friske](/source/Neil_Friske). Friske was [Pentecostal](/source/Pentecostal).[4]

Dick Friske took over the orchards in 1983 and has run it ever since. During the [COVID-19 pandemic](/source/COVID-19_pandemic_in_Michigan), he led the orchard in a lawsuit against three [Michigan state government](/source/Government_of_Michigan) agencies and Governor [Gretchen Whitmer](/source/Gretchen_Whitmer) after the business refused to follow [mask mandates](/source/Mask_mandate).[6] Neil replaced [John Damoose](/source/John_Damoose) in [Michigan's 107th House of Representatives district](/source/Michigan's_107th_House_of_Representatives_district) after winning the [2022 Michigan House of Representatives election](/source/2022_Michigan_House_of_Representatives_election) as a Republican.[12]

## Death

Friske died on June 17, 2002, in his home in [Banks Township](/source/Banks_Township,_Michigan).[2][4]

## References

1. Dodge, Samuel (March 6, 2023). ["Northern Michigan orchard lawsuit against Whitmer complains of 'hypothetical punishment,' says AG's office"](https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2020/08/northern-michigan-orchard-lawsuit-against-whitmer-complains-of-hypothetical-punishment-says-ags-office.html). [MLive](/source/MLive). Retrieved May 27, 2026.

1. ["Richard Friske, 77"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/petoskey-news-review-richard-friske-77/198423285/). *[Petoskey News-Review](/source/Petoskey_News-Review)*. June 18, 2002. p. 2. Retrieved May 27, 2026. – via [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)

1. ["Frincke to Froslie"](http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/fringer-frosh.html). [Political Graveyard](/source/Political_Graveyard). Retrieved May 6, 2020.

1. ["Legislator Details - Richard Friske"](https://mdoe.state.mi.us/legislators/Legislator/LegislatorDetail/2998). [Library of Michigan](/source/Library_of_Michigan). Retrieved May 6, 2020.

1. Tyson, Remer (January 17, 1971). ["A Bircher in Capitol"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103278017/richard-friske-at-the-capitol/). *Detroit Free Press*. p. 3. Retrieved March 5, 2023. – via [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)

1. Link, Mardi (2020-08-23). ["Negotiations ongoing in Friske Farm Market lawsuit against Gov. Whitmer"](https://www.record-eagle.com/collections/negotiations-ongoing-in-friske-farm-market-lawsuit-against-gov-whitmer/article_80aef1bc-e3e8-11ea-aa0b-f7705d6cbc6e.html). *Traverse City Record-Eagle*. Retrieved 2022-11-18.

1. ["Birchers Aim At State District | Ann Arbor District Library"](https://aadl.org/node/77392). *aadl.org*. Retrieved 2022-11-18.

1. ["MIRS"](https://mirs.news/news/capsule/mirs-capitol-capsule-wednesday-january-26-2022#67634)

1. ["Controls Asked on Births by Poor"](https://www.nytimes.com/1972/05/07/archives/controls-asked-on-births-by-poor-michigan-legislator-urges-larger.html). *The New York Times*. 1972-05-06. Retrieved 2022-11-18.

1. New York Times, May 7, 1972

1. ["OpenSecrets"](https://www.opensecrets.org/search?q=richard+friske+sr&type=donors)

1. Doyle, Annie. ["Charlevoix's Neil Friske wins primary election for 107th House seat"](https://www.petoskeynews.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/08/03/charlevoixs-neil-friske-wins-primary-election-107th-house-seat/10222765002/). *Petoskey News-Review*. Retrieved 2022-11-18.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Richard Friske](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Friske) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Friske?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.