Born in Prossnitz, Austria-Hungary (now Prostejov, Czech Republic) in January 1894, Friedrich Bill was a lawyer and journalist, and was active in the Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (SPD) and vice-president of the Czech League for Human Rights. He lived for a time in Brno and Prague before emigrating to Ecuador in 1940. He came to the United States in 1951, and died in New York City on October 26, 1976.