THE FATE OF OUR FATHERS
The First American Revolution ended in failure after it was beset by misfortune. Diplomat John Adams’ ship sank, ending his life and the hopes of France aiding the colonies; shortly afterwards, General George Washington became a martyr via gunshot to the back, courtesy of future British Prime Minister Benedict Arnold. The light of liberty seemed to have been snuffed out. But the British did not learn their lesson. Rather than ease taxes on the colonies, they instead relied more heavily on America’s taxes to pay for their costly support of the French monarchy in the long-lasting French Civil War. As that conflict ate away at British morale and supplies, a new generation of American revolutionaries, many of its leaders being the children of the First Revolution’s leaders, began to rise up against the British. The light of liberty reignited, and spread beyond the original 13 Colonies, seeping into Nova Scotia and the Bahamas. Unable to divert troops at a time of war, Britain’s parliament sought to end the slave trade in the Americas to appease the northern colonies. This backfired via creating for the British a new enemy – the southern colonies, who soon joined their northern counterparts in rebellion. The Grandsons of Liberty saw the French Peoples’ Army closing in on the British in 1811 as their chance, and a full-on war for independence began anew. Blood was spilled, heroes were born, and in 1818, the United States was formed. Its current system of governance, crafted based on the earlier writings of First American Revolution (F.A.R.) leader Thomas Jefferson, was cemented in the 1820s. A new era on the North American continent had begun.
Presidents of the United States of America
22/2/1825-22/2/1833: 1) George Washington Parke Custis (I-MA) (lived 30 April 1781 – 10 October 1857, aged 76) – age in office: 43-51
The step-grandson and adopted son of the famous General Washington, the young G. W. Custis began his life the descendant of an enemy of Britain. His family lost their plantation in Virginia and they reluctantly moved to the more sympathetic city of Boston. There, Custis became an early supporter of a Second Revolution, and ultimately became an American hero in his own right during the war by quickly rising in rank in the army, leading the charge of the united 18 colonies, and snatching victory from the jaws of defeat numerous times. Lacking diplomatic and political skills, however, Custis reluctantly ran for President after much urging from supporters; once in office, he adopted a hands-off form of governing, ultimately leading to the formation of the Liberty party in 1832. After leaving office (after eight years, claiming “twelve years is too long for any man to stay in power,” creating a precedence), Custis advocated “the spreading of American liberty across the globe,” and made several journeys to British North America, Mejico, and mid-revolution Greece during the 1830s and 1840s. Later in life, though, Custis also developed an interest in antiquity, making him a leading promoter of many research projects. Custis died from natural causes in his beloved Boston, and is buried in Rosaryville National Cemetery.
22/2/1833-22/2/1837: 2) John Quincy Adams I (L-ME) (lived 11 June 1767 – 23 February 1848, aged 80) – age in office: 65-69
John Adams’ son followed in his footsteps and sought assistance from the French and the Dutch during America’s Second Revolution, and for this the people rewarded him with the position of Vice-President. Adams was more invested in politics than Custis, causing critics to call Adams the true power behind the presidency. Nevertheless, in the face on a lackadaisical campaign by challenger Peter Jefferson, Adams succeeded Custis to the Great House in 1832. His administration focused on modernizing the American economy and developing infrastructure in the western states, namely transportation and vocational and literary education. Further plans were cut short when his increasingly anti-slavery rhetoric angered Southern voters, leading to him losing re-election by a narrow margin. After this, Adams retired to his estate in Maine, dying from natural causes and being buried there in 1848.
22/2/1837-22/2/1845: 3) Peter Jefferson I (D-VA) (lived 28 May 1777 – 16 June 1868, aged 91) – age in office: 59-67
Thomas Jefferson was one of the few First Founding Fathers to avoid the death penalty when captured, after the British realized they were just contributing to the colonies’ number of martyrs. The elder Jefferson, confined to house arrest on his massive Virginia plantation, watched over his son’s poor health during the child’s first few months of living. Peter Jefferson enjoyed a privileged upbringing, but nevertheless was encouraged by his father to join the cause for freedom during the 1810s. Peter was pivotal in ensuring his father’s vision for a proper “balancing of governing powers” became a reality after the revolution’s end. In 1825, shortly before Thomas Jefferson’s death, Peter Jefferson joined that vision via election to the Senatorum, where he was an effective and vocal Senator in favor of continuing slavery in the states still practicing it. With this, Jefferson strongly opposed President Adams’ views on slavery, and reversed many of Adams’ policies once succeeding him into the White House. Domestically, Jefferson sought to increase state-by-state governance beyond the extent of the Libertines, which ultimately led to the formation of the Decentralization Party in 1839 (renamed the Democracy party in 1843). Oversees, Jefferson backed France’s absorption of North Italy, then called “the powder-keg of Europe” for the peninsula’s continuous bloodshed instigated by numerous rival factions. Jefferson’s expert handling of the economy assured the landslide election of his Secretary of State, after which Jefferson retired to live out an active retirement in Virginia.
22/2/1845-22/2/1853: 4) John Payne Todd (D-FK) (lived 29 February 1792 – 30 November 1853, aged 61) – age in office: 52-60
Despite being President Jefferson’s Secretary of State for eight years, John Payne Todd failed to be as successful as his predecessor. After the near-death of his father in the Great Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793, the Todds relocated to the western state of Franklin, where John grew up working in the fields with white and colored farmhands. However, John was restless, and eventually joined the growing US Navy in order to travel the world. An interest in foreign policy developed, and Todd jumped from occupation to occupation until befriending Peter Jefferson in 1832. Four years later, Todd became the US Secretary of State, and spent an unprecedented amount of time abroad. Unfortunately, travel time does not equal governance; as President, ignored domestic issues such as states’ rights and the short economic recession of 1845 in order to spend more time traveling. Re-election proved to be difficult in the face of revelations of his lavish lifestyle – his habit of purchasing expensive artwork and furniture – and other trip expenditures. The American public soon began to hear rumors concerning the President’s chronic alcoholism, but party backers swore these “haven’t a grain of truth.” Todd won re-election by a narrow plurality, causing some psephologists to wonder if the Second Founding Fathers should have implemented the “electoral college” proposal that had ultimately been rejected in the early 1820s. Todd hoped to remove the attention from him with a war breaking out on the US-BNA border over ownership of Cascadia in 1849. The subsequent war ended in 1851 in a US victory. Todd’s greatest controversy, however, came in early 1852, when, during a drunken fit, the President shot and wounded his Vice-President. The Libertines were certain of victory in November 1852, but in an unexpected twist, enough voters felt sympathy for the Vice-President to elect him to the Great House instead. Still, Todd left office in disgrace, and in another twist, died in the Great Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1853.
22/2/1853-22/2/1861: 5) James Spence Monroe (D-VA) (lived 30 May 1799 – 28 September 1862, aged 63) – age in office: 53-61
As a toddler, James Spence Monroe (or “J.S.” for short) survived an illness that left him physically weak, but he made up for it by becoming an expert academic, culminating in his serving as President of Revere University in Massachusetts from 1843 to 1848. During his four years as Vice-President, Monroe politically and sometimes even physically quarreled with President Todd, and as President sought to repair the damage Todd had done to the image of the Presidency. He started by donating his salary and most of the Great House’s most expensive items to various causes. Meanwhile, American expansion under Todd had led to territories on the western coast requesting statehood, leading to intense debate on the establishing of slavery outside of the Southern states, as had been encouraged under the past two administrations. However, Monroe broke with his fellow Democraciers on the grounds that slavery was no longer economically beneficial. The British had ended the practice in 1830, and America’s strongest allies (the Dutch Union, the French Empire, and the Greek Confederacy) all opposed the practice as well. A negative and contentious Presidential election soon developed, followed by rioting in the streets upon Monroe’s re-election, with the south calling him a “traitor” to the region. After surviving an assassination attempt, Monroe maintained a low profile during his second term, working with northern and moderate southern Senators and Representors to pass laws aimed at maintaining a strong economy. By the time Monroe left office (and died soon afterwards after years of poor health), debate over the issue of slavery was turning violent, and whispers of civil war kept many on edge.
22/2/1861-22/2/1865: 6) Charles Francis Adams Sr. (C-ME) (lived 18 August 1807 – 21 November 1886, aged 79) – age in office: 53-57
Fortunately, though blood was shed, cooler heads ultimately prevailed – literally. Charles Francis Adams Sr., the son of President John Quincy Adams, followed his father into politics via election to the Representorum in 1834 and then to the Senatorum in 1838, where he became a leading party member of the Libertines in that party’s dying years. Upon its demise in the late 1850s, Adams assembled with anti-slavery politicians in Wingapo, Franklin, to form a new political entity. The organizers settled of the name “The Constructive Party,” but due to their description of being “cool-headed in the face of hot-headed radicals,” their party became better known as “The Coolhead Party.” This didn’t bother Adams, though – his focus was instead on defeating Monroe’s fiercely anti-north Vice-President. In 1860, Adams won by a narrow plurality margin, and the south began to call for a revolution. Adams’ proved his determination to keep the nation together just weeks into office via immediately responding to South Carolina declaring independence in March 1861; before any other southern states could follow suit, South Carolina’s state capital was surrounded by federal guards. The unofficial blockade of troops prevented supplies from entering or leaving the city, and Adams used his editorial connections to promote blaming the blockade on southern radicalism. Adams quickly met with southern politicians and promised to support certain legislation if they openly opposed their respective states from seceding. A few weeks later, in the face of growing discontent within the city, the South Carolina government rescinded their declaration of independence, infuriating radicals elsewhere and leading to another round of violent rioting. Still, Adams cautiously pushed onwards, calling for a gradual freeing of the slaves over the next ten years. For the rest of his term, Adams fulfilled his promises to the southern politicians, but still lost re-election in a landslide. Meanwhile, overseas, Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell perfected color photography, ushering in a new era.
22/2/1865-22/2/1873: 7) Daniel Smith Donelson (D-TN) (lived 23 June 1801 – 17 April 1883, aged 81) – age in office: 63-71
The “hero” of the Cascadian War of 1849-1851, General Donelson was raised by his uncle, Major General Andrew Jackson, after Donelson’s biological father died. Donelson grew to admire his uncle’s patriotism, and enjoyed listening to Jackson’s recounting of his time fighting in both American Revolutions, even after losing his left eye in battle. Donelson joined the Army and oversaw victory over British North America in 1851, contributing to the formation of the nation of Kanaedia in 1857. After going as far as he could in the military, Donelson entered politics, running for President in 1860 and again in 1864. While personally favoring the abolition of slavery, Donelson presented himself as “an American first but a southerner a close second,” and was highly favored by southern voters over Adams in his second run for President. Southern voters were surprised, however, by his support for socially liberal policies, in particular his support for the right to vote to be extended to “women with the means to live, and thus to think, independently” and to freed slaves (“within reason”). Sensing another “traitor” in their midst, calls for rebellion resumed. To this, Donelson offered a solution – the purchasing of Mauritania from the collapsing Kingdom of Spain. A section of western Africa with a shoreline just south of French Empire-owned Morocco, Donelson’s administration offered monetary incentives to anyone willing to move here and continue to practice slavery without “northern interference.” The idea worked, until reports came back that the region was not nearly as hospitable as the settlers had been told it was. The event ultimately was seen as a distraction for the South, as the federal government continued to slowly dismantle slavery on a state-by-state basis. By 1872, only four states – South Carolina, Bonapartia, Alibama, and Misisseepa – had yet to abolish slavery.
22/2/1873-22/2/1877: 8) John Van Buren (D-NY) (lived 18 February 1810 – 13 October 1886, aged 76) – age in office: 63-67
Van Buren’s father was a SAR veteran-turned Democracier diplomat. John, however, was more successful in the political world, quickly rising from lawyer to state Attorney General to Governor and then a US Senator before serving as Vice-President for eight years. John was an effective campaign speaker, and was one of the most liberal Presidents in decades, pushing for the right for “all women” to vote throughout his term (however, his personal opinions on African-Americans are currently controversial). President Van Buren also believed that economic pressure would soon force the Final Four to give up their lost cause. No other states or any nations would trade with them. Quality of life for whites and blacks, rich folk and poor folk, was dropping. As soon as the final state – South Carolina – announced the abolition of its slaves (the Governor allegedly gritting his teeth through the whole announcement), President Van Buren immediately granted them economic aid packages meant to boost their economy via developing manufacturing and production centers in order to modernize the South away from its pro-slavery rural roots. Despite this success, the President ignoring warfare brewing oversees caused him to lose re-election to a more military-minded man.
22/2/1877-4/4/1877: 9) John Scott Harrison (C-OH) (lived 4 October 1804 – 4 April 1877, aged 72) – age in office: 72
After decades of threats, saber-rattling and close calls, war finally broke out between the Russian and French Empires in the spring of 1876. Tired of decades of gradual expansion, the British sided with Russia, along with Hungaromania and the dying Ottoman Empire, while Greece sided with France. The United States finally sided with France under President Harrison, who suggested to his cabinet an invasion of Kanaedia. Harrison was a farmer-turned-soldier-turned-Representor whom grew up during Second-Revolutionary times, which cemented in him belief that war was terrible, but “the only way anything ever got done.” Harrison’s war proposals, however, abruptly ended with him – at 72, America’s oldest President collapsed at his desk in the Great House from a combination of pneumonia and other illnesses, and died. He was the first US President to die in office, having served for only roughly six weeks.
4/4/1877-22/2/1881: 10) Robert Tyler (C-VA until 1880, then D-VA) (lived 9 September 1816 – 3 December 1897, aged 81) – age in office: 60-64
Harrison’s unexpected death lead to a political crisis over the specifics of Presidential succession. Opponents of Harrison’s successor believed that since he had not been elected to the office, Tyler could only serve as “acting President,” which would give him limited powers until the 1880 election. However, the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of Tyler in late 1877. Tyler was a controversial President due to his opinions on many issues contrasting those of his fellow Constructivists. Tyler supported slavery while a Representor but switched parties during the 1870s to save his political career in his pro-abolition congressional district. His selection as VP was meant to win over conservative voters. After the 1877 ruling, Constructivists opposed virtually his every move save for his restructuring of the treasury in order to ward off another recession as bad (but thankfully forgetful) as the one in 1870. Tyler also opposed the US entering the Franco-Russian War, but was overruled by congress and the American people. Still, the US leader’s lack of support was felt overseas as the UK-Russian side of the control gained ground. In the face of the Constructive party’s destructive antagonism, Tyler ran for a full term under the Democracy banner, but failed to win the nomination in the face of a popular “dark hound” candidate.
22/2/1881-22/2/1885: 11) Marshall Tate Polk Jr. (D-TN) (lived 15 May 1831 – 29 June 1885, aged 54) – age in office: 49-53
Polk was the son of local lawyer and businessman Marshall Tate Polk and the nephew of state politician James Knox Polk. Young and charismatic, Polk served as Governor of Tennessee for four years before running for President in 1880. Once President, he doubled the number of soldiers shipped overseas to support the US’s long-time ally. This troop surge came at an opportune time for France, and helped seal the fate of the war-tired Russian Empire. The Greeks, however, were so devastated by the battles they fought against the Ottomans, Hungaromanians, rebel Italians, Egyptians and Britons, that the country soon slipped into diplomatic isolation, ultimately becoming firmly and widely known as “the Switzerland of the Balkans” by the start of the 1940s. Back in the US, the war boosted morale and swelled a sense of nationalism in the American people. Once again, however, the presumed winner of the next Presidential election instead lost in an upset. Domestically, Polk oversaw the implementation of the right for all women and all former slaves to vote in 1883 (albeit with literacy tests being a polling access requirement in many states). Polk retired from politics after one term due to extended exhaustion, and died only a few months after leaving office. He is often ranked one of the US’s best Presidents.
22/2/1885-17/7/1886: 12) Richard Scott “Dick” Taylor (C-LA) (lived 27 January 1826 – 17 July 1886, aged 60) – age in office: 59-60
After the disastrous Harrison-Tyler administration, the Constructive party was losing support across the nation, and party leaders hoped a military hero would return them to glory. Instead, fate repeated itself. Lifelong army-man Dick Taylor originally was an ardent Democracier and a supporter of what he called “humane slavery” until splitting with the party over the actions of President Van Buren. Raised in a stern military household, his father having fought in the Second American Revolution and dying while commanding troops in the War For Cascadia, Taylor worked his way up to General in the Army and received praise for his actions in Europe, especially for his success at commanding French and American troops at the integral Battle of Wroclaw in late 1882. Taylor ran for and was elected President on a platform of strengthening America’s presence on the world stage and building a sense of unity within the regional sections of the US via funding communication programs after the invention of the miniature audiograph (a.k.a. audies). However, his sabre-rattling towards Great Britain over Central American land claims made many fear that another war was on the horizon. It is uncertain if Taylor was serious in his threats of going to war over Mosquitaria, though, for in the summer of 1886, Grangu Flu swept the nation’s capital, taking with it 152 people, including 12 US Representors, 2 US Senators, and the US President. In a morbid coincidence, the epidemic occurred at the same time that Professor John Tyndall made the revolutionary 1886 discovery of penicillin’s effectiveness against bacterial infections, which would help save millions of lives in the years that followed.
17/7/1886-22/2/1889: 13) Millard Powers Fillmore (C-NY) (lived 25 April 1828 – 15 November 1889, aged 61) – age in office: 58-60
Millard Powers Fillmore was an enigmatic individual. The son of a perennial candidate, Fillmore disclosed very little information regarding his personal life throughout his life as a Representor, VP, and President. A lifelong bachelor, his sister would host Great House functions, and at events the President remained aloof, preferring to discuss policy to all other activities. While this made him an effective legislator and was hailed for his quick response to the economic Panic of 1887, he was deeply unpopular among the American people, whom did not care for such usual antisocial behavior from the leader of their society; as such, Fillmore did not contest the 1888 election, and died shortly after leaving office from an unknown ailment. Curiously, in accordance with his will, all personal correspondence letters, papers and notes were burned without any explanation. Theories over Fillmore still abound today.
2/2/1889-22/2/1893: 14) Benjamin “Ben” Pierce II (D-NH) (lived 13 April 1841 – 6 June 1935, aged 94) – age in office: 47-51
To the enjoyment of the American voters living in the post-war economically prosperous era of the 1880s and 1890s, President Pierce was the complete opposite of his predecessor, leading to a landslide victory in November 1888 over the incumbent VP. Athletic, adventurous and outgoing, Pierce charmed the people of the nation for four years of relative peace at home and abroad. Slowly, minority groups gained prominence and acceptance in northern states while central Europe and the remains of Russia slowly redeveloped themselves. Also during this period, after twenty years of ownership, the US granted independence to Mauritania (the African nation’s pro-white government, however, would collapse to a pro-indigenous one in 1912). Unfortunately, Pierce’s panophobic mother, traumatized by the deaths of Ben’s siblings, father and stepfather, feared for his life and had disapproved of his entrance into public life; fearing a second term bid would be too much for his octogenarian mother, Pierce retired after one term. Ironically, both Pierce and his mother would live to be 94.
22/2/1893-22/2/1897: 15) Harriet Rebecca (Rebecca) Lane (D-PA) (lived 9 May 1830 – 3 July 1903, aged 73) – age in office: 62-66
While Pierce’s administration was tranquil (and ultimately, forgetful), his successor’s time as President was chaotic (and ultimately, legendary). Rebecca Lane was not the first woman to mount a serious bid for President, but she was the first to successfully obtain the nomination of a major party. And with the Constructivists standing on its last legs, the odds were in her favor that she would become the nation’s first female leader. Rebecca Lane, the daughter of wealthy merchant Elliot Tole Lane and niece of the highly-popular politician and diplomat James Buchanan, had once been seen as “a beauty” for her fair complexion and poise while accompanying her uncle on foreign trips; but it was through the urging of her uncle (especially after his bids for the Presidency failed to bear fruit) that Lane became an active promoter of social causes, such as the living conditions of American Indians in the southern- and western- state reservations. This advocacy scared away suitors, but Miss Lane preferred the freedom of singlehood. Failing to make traction outside of the political machine, she became one of the first women elected to the Representorum, doing so in 1870. While in Congress, she worked on legislation to construct school buildings and children hospitals, along with a program to encourage teaching in less populated areas of the country. She soon became a loyal friend of the press and art communities, and was considered for running mate in 1880. In 1882, Lane was elected to the Senatorum in a narrow and heavily misogynistic campaign. In 1892, her candidacy for President came as a surprise and initially was dismissed by the establishment until their preferred candidate, the incumbent VP (former Representor Clifton Rhodes Breckinridge (1846-1932) of Arkansaw), fell from grace over an extramarital affair. Lane’s campaign lead to an unprecedented rise in woman voter turnout, leading to her winning by a 5% margin as many socially conservative voters fled to the Constructivist Party out of protest. Under Lane and Pierce, the party, more eager to win than to uphold its history, noticeably shifted away from its conservative roots as relatively more liberal policies became more popular in society. The prosperous times felt under Pierce continued on – until spasmodic skirmishes along the US-Kanaedian borders began increasing in frequency and scale. The nation hailed Lane for her social successes (despite repeated quarrels with conservative and sexist politicians), but knew her time in office would soon come to a close in the face of military action for which Lane was heavily unprepared. Lane was denied re-nomination, and soon settled into an active semi-retirement until her death. She is still hailed by gender equalists as an inspirational trailblazer.
22/2/1897-15/4/1901: 16) Robert Todd Lincoln (S-CA) (lived 1 August 1843 – 15 April 1901, aged 57) – age in office: 53-57
From the ashes of the Constructive Party rose another political party to oppose the Democraciers – the fiscally conservative but social moderate Strength Party. The “Strongmen” as their members were called, rallied for retribution on the Kanaedians for the border skirmishes. Their nominee became a somewhat obscure former Representor named Robert Todd Lincoln, whom in 1896 won the Presidency over the incumbent VP and a major other-party nominee, former US Senator Stephen Arnold Douglas Jr. (1850-1908). The son of a perennial candidate railroader and would-be attorney from Illinois before ultimately moving his family to Esplandia, Caliphornia in the 1850s, Robert Lincoln learned from his father how to
not run an effective campaign, and the reverse-mechaneering of that lead to him spending six years in the US Representorum. The Monroe years cemented in Lincoln a belief in a responsible central government and the need to keep America secure; his upbringing in the western United States also led to him becoming a strong supporter of “Continental Destiny,” the belief that the United States should encompass most if not all of the North American continent. War with the icy nation of Kanaedia (spanning from Norton Sound to Lake Gitchigoomee) gave Lincoln the chance to fulfill that destiny. Beginning in March 1897 the war favored the US – superior numbers and firepower seemed to trump the Kanaedians’ home turf advantage. A string of defeats in 1898 and 1899 suggested the US could not fight the good fight alone. But soon, America’s old friends – the French – joined them in battle. Kebeck rebelled against Kanaedia and the tide reversed course; this ensured Lincoln winning re-election over the 35-year-old Representor George B. McClellan Jr. (1865-1940) of New York. In early 1901, the Treaty of Guadalajara was signed in neutral Mejico, making Kebeck, Mejico and the USA the sole nations on the continent. Of course, not all Kanaedians were happy with that; just days after the war’s end, a bitter Kanaedian veteran from Alyeska shot Lincoln in the back of the head before the Alyeskan was beaten to death by an angry mob. Lincoln is one of only four US Presidents buried in Rosaryville National Cemetery. For decades, Lincoln was seen as the US’s greatest President. Now, though, his bloody warmongering is highly controversial, complete with many long-standing statues of him (plus his likeness on American currency) being removed in recent decades.
15/4/1901-22/2/1905: 17) Andrew Johnson Jr. (S-TN) (lived 5 August 1852 – 12 March 1933, aged 80) – age in office: 48-52
There is no way President Johnson could live up to his martyred predecessor, which is why he didn’t even try to do so. Johnson was born to Andrew Johnson Sr., a successful lifelong Democracier Senator from Tennessee; the younger Johnson entered the Senatorum in 1883, holding the same seat held by his father until Johnson Sr.’s death in office in 1875. After switching parties in 1899 over the Democracier opposition to the US-Kanaedian War, Johnson was chosen for running mate in 1900 to appeal to southern voters. A rather boring leader, President Johnson presided over the post-war integration of Kanaedians into American society. Calls for retribution on them were dashed away to the fury of Strongmen Radicals. Aware that these sharks could sense his blood in the water, Johnson practically allowed Congressional “free range” during his time in office, lest he lock horns and be politically ruined. However, this appeasement only made Johnson seem weak to the party bosses, and he was denied the 1904 nomination. Rumors of his family suffering from mental illness on account of his brother Robert’s 1869 suicide may have been a factor as well. Andrew Johnson Jr. hastily returned to Tennessee once out of office, and died from pneumonia at age 80.
22/2/1905-22/2/1913: 18) Jesse Root Grant (D-MO) (lived 6 February 1858 – 8 June 1934, aged 76) – age in office: 47-55
Born to Cascadian War veteran-turned-struggling farmer Hiram Ulysses Grant, the eighteenth President became a businessman focused on farming equipment before working in the Department of the Interior in the 1890s, and then as a US Senator. His quixotic campaign for President unexpectedly won over the Strength party’s nominee, former New York Governor Horatio Seymour Jr. (1844-1907) (the nephew of another New York Governor), whom independent voters saw as far too radical and war-happy for the job. Grant won re-election in 1908 in a landslide over former Representor Ida Lillian Greeley of New York (1848-1922). Grant served as President during a time of great technological progress thanks to the spoils of war. For example, American mechaneers in Ohio took the airwagon, developed in France in 1897, and successfully mounted autoguns to it in 1906. Overseas, Romanian physician and microbiologist Constantine Levaditi (1874-1953) made important breakthroughs in the pursuit of finding a cure for cholera and polio, earning him several awards. Grant also increased the federal funding of medical research programs, in particular throat cancer, the cause of his Father’s death in the 1880s. Shortly after winning re-election, the First Lady filed for divorce, leading to a nasty feud that threatened to overshadow his administration’s successes. After leaving office, Grant continued his activism in many causes, and ultimately left behind a complicated legacy.
22/2/1913-22/2/1917: 19) James Webb Cook (Webb) Hayes (S-OH) (lived 20 March 1856 – 26 July 1934, aged 78) – age in office: 56-60
Webb Hayes was elected in a highly controversial election in which the loss of several ballot boxes left the true winner of the popular vote undeterminable. A federal law crisis quickly ensued, in which the Strongmen-majority Representorum voted for Hayes for President, while the Democracier-majority Senatorum voted for the Democratic nominee’s running mate for VP. This peculiar political resolution lead to two social-political movements: the first resurrected a long-dead suggestion: the implementation of an “electoral college” in order to “streamline democracy;” the second called for the changing of the President’s inauguration day to a later point in the year, as many felt the 1912-1913 crisis was inadequately handled due to the lack of time between early November and early February. Despite cries that Hayes (a businessman and brigadier general without any prior political experience) had either bought or stolen the Presidency, his inauguration was orderly, and Hayes frequently sought compromise on contentious legislation. In 1914, Hayes called on the US to defend its “South American friends” via a military invasion of Parana. The brief war would be one of many concerning exterior political forces influencing South American “guava republics” such as Uruguay and Magellana. By his third year in office, though, Hayes had tired of DC’s pace and environment, and opted to retire at the end of his term. Post-presidency, he was a fundraiser for the Strength party until his death in 1934.
22/2/1917-19/8/1917: 20) James Rudolph Garfield Sr. (S-OH) (lived 17 October 1865 – 19 August 1917, aged 51) – age in office: 51
The President second-shortest tenure was also the second President to be assassinated. Born into a humble Ohio family whose breadwinner was a jack-of-all-trades with big dreams and poor concentration, Garfield entered Ohio politics at a young age. After many years of fracas-starting in the Representorum, Garfield lost a US Senatorum bid in 1912. This lead to him serving in Hayes’ administration (Secretary of the Interior 1913-1914, Secretary of State 1914-1917) and proving himself popular enough to be elected President in 1916, winning narrowly over the 66-year-old Paranan War of Re-Independence war hero Russell Hancock (1850-1930). Garfield’s policies were promising, and while his administration had a rocky start, it was expected he would adjust. Indeed, after establishing landmark trade deals with European nations, and successfully pushing to conserve large swaths of the nation’s forests and other landscapes, Garfield was already looking forward to a second term. Then those shots rang out. Deranged German-American academic Eric Muenter fired just enough lead into the President to drag out Garfield’s demise for seven weeks. Initial rumors that spread asserting that the assassination had been a political plot were proven false during Muenter’s late 1917 trial, during which he was found guilty despite his defense pleading insanity. Muenter was executed in December via frying seat. Garfield’s assassin’s was then buried in a mass unmarked grave outside of Redknife, Yucon, while Garfield is buried at Rosaryville National Cemetery.
19/8/1917-22/2/1921: 21) Chester Alan “Chet” Arthur II (S-JE) (lived 25 July 1864 – 18 July 1937, aged 72) – age in office: 53-56
Arthur was
the Party President. Growing up under the shadow of his older brother William in the Western state of Jefferson, Chet pursued interests in nature, setting up ranching, mining, timber-cutting, and park maintenance companies that made him millions. His worry-free lifestyle of cash-burning parties and lavish luxury living suddenly ended in early 1906, when his brother died in a boating accident, and Jefferson politicians sought to appoint Chet to William’s Senate seat. Initially strongly opposed, his wife and younger siblings convinced Chet to continue his brother’s legacy, and was elected to a full term later that year. But Chet soon tired of legislation and spent more time on organizing fundraisers, making connections to elite members of society, and travelling abroad than actually working. Ironically, this lead to him being popular and well-connected – elements Garfield lacked; believing the Vice Presidency was an “empty” job, Arthur accepted being Garfield’s running mate, and spent more time on the campaign trail than Garfield, throwing social events to promote the ticket and ultimately raking in twice as much funding as Hancock by Election Day 1916. But upon becoming President, Arthur failed to kick his partying habit. President Arthur travelled across Europe in a way that made historians of President Todd uneasy. In early 1918, a “fundraiser” held at the Great House ended with several windows left shattered, broken furniture strewn across the lawn, a half-naked President Arthur fighting off a fern with a sword - a huge scandal costing the Strongmen votes in that year’s November elections. Finally, revelations of his extramarital affairs, alcoholism, and attempts to pass laws that would directly benefit his former companies lead to him losing his bid for the 1920 nomination in a landslide. His unpopular and scandalous time in office, however, did leave behind positive impacts. Arthur strengthened US ties to Russia, which had been slowly regaining territory over the past few decades, in 1919 Arthur did push a landmark immigration law that weighed admissions by the situation of the immigrant’s country of origin instead of by their ethnicity. Most notably, though, Arthur’s attempts to abuse his power lead to federal laws being passed by congress that restricted federal officials’ connections to businesses while in office, and seriously cut down on political corruption. Arthur continued to “live in the moment” until his death at the age 72.
22/2/1921-22/2/1925 & 22/2/1929-22/3/1933: 22 & 24) Oscar Folsom Cleveland (D-OH) (lived 14 September 1874 – 5 May 1959, aged 84) – age in office: 46-50 & 54-58
The US’s sole President to serve two non-consecutive terms was born to Stephen Cleveland, an alcoholic sheriff, and Maria Halpin; according to Maria, Sheriff Cleveland was to marry her when he was shot a killed in the line of duty. After serving in the Army during the Kanaedian War, Cleveland ultimately became a New York City prosecutor, then the city’s D.A., and finally the city’s mayor, with crime in the metropolis dropping more and more with each job change. During the 1900s and 1910s decades, the Democracier party began slowly becoming the preferred party of the liberal former Kanaedians. Thus, Kanaedian voters turnout out in droves to vote for the liberal Cleveland; ironic, as he has served in the Kanaedian War. Cleveland was elected President in 1920 over Walker Blaine of Maine (1855-1930), whom had worked as his father’s assistant at the US State Department during the 1880s, and became a Senator soon after his father’s death in 1893; Blaine had previously run for President in 1912 and 1916. Cleveland’s term started on a positive note with the discovery of the cure for polio thanks to the collaborative work of the Lane foundation, a British university, and isolationist Greece’s entrance into science. However, the 1924 election proved much narrower than anticipated, culminating in the Ultimate Court awarding the victory to Cleveland’s opponent despite Cleveland winning the popular vote. Deriding the decision as a “lawful coup,” Cleveland swore that he would be back. While gearing up for a political comeback in 1928, Cleveland became a special adviser for the NYCPD. When 1928 finally came around, Cleveland defeated his previous defeater in a landslide. His second term saw a scandal that in retrospect has been seen as the catalyst for the nonhetero movement. Senate leader David I. Walsh’s sexual preference had been an open secret within liberal political circles, but when the hostile press (dubbed “biased media” by the uncouth Senator Haywood) published testimony of a man claiming to have proof of Walsh visiting a gay whore house (clothing he had left there, and his signature ingrained into the main desk from a thin sheet of paper), the senate opened an investigation into Walsh; by the end of the year Walsh had been expelled, leaving the capital in disgrace, while as raising public awareness of “nonhetero folks” as they soon began to be called. Strongmen called them “societal menaces,” but upcoming events would slowly change western society’s attitudes toward NHs. In 1930, after 18 years of debate and 2 contentious elections, the new date for the President’s inauguration was set for 28 days later – March 22, which coincided with the anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Guadalajara. With these extra 28 days in office, Cleveland became America’s longest-served President (until 1977). Cleveland declined a bid for a second (consecutive) term and left office with fairly high approval ratings, but continued to be active in NYC activities until his last breath.
22/2/1925-22/2/1929: 23) Russell Benjamin “Russ” Harrison (S-IN) (lived 12 August 1854 – 13 December 1936, aged 82) – age in office: 70-74
Being born into the wealthy Harrison family of Ohio gave Russ Harrison the ability to pursue various goals throughout his lifetime. The grandson of President John Scott Harrison, Russ Harrison became a lawyer and businessman, investing in mining and air travel, and moving from Ohio to New York to Montana as he jumped from occupation to occupation. When war broke out in 1897, Harrison joined the army and rose to the rank of colonel. Afterwards, he served as Indiana’s Governor from 1905 to 1913, then as a diplomat in the Hayes, Garfield and Arthur administrations before finally running for President in 1924. At 70, he was oldest person elected President at the time. Politically, he was a “radical,” but his fiery claims of fiscal responsibility were unfounded when his administration was unable to handle the Great Depression of 1926-1931. The old Man in the Great House, at age 74, lost re-election in a landslide to the man he had won against in a landslide just four years prior. Unlike other former Presidents, Harrison continued to be politically active, campaigning for political candidates in Indiana until his death from natural causes in 1936.
22/3/1933-25/6/1937: 25) Katherine “Katie” McKinley (D-FL) (lived 25 December 1871 – 25 June 1937, aged 65) – age in office: 61-65
America’s second female President was “a long time coming,” as 36 years had passed since the first one. Katie McKinley learned responsibility at a young age, as, after her father’s death from an illness, her mother became severely grief-stricken, leading to Katie essentially raising herself and her younger sister alone. McKinley developed an interest in politics at an early age and also became an advocate for mental health due to her mother’s mental fragility. After both sisters worked their way through college, Katie moved to Florida in 1901, after marriage to a local attorney; McKinley did not adopt her husband’s last name, a practice gaining in popularity in Europe but still controversial in the US. After years of serving in the state legislature, McKinley served as Florida’s Governor from 1927 to 1931. Inspired by President Lane to follow in her footsteps, McKinley mounted a successful campaign for the 1932 Democratic nomination. The popularity of President Cleveland assured McKinley a comfortable win in both the popular vote and the Electoral College over Ruth Bryan Owen (1885-1954), a Senator from Florida at the time and later a US Ambassador under Taft. The McKinley administration oversaw the unprecedented expansion of Earth Protectionism, referring to the philosophy of preserving large tracts of land to maintain nature and ecosystems, based on then-theories that mass industrialization was negatively affecting the Earth. With the economy stable and Europe tenuously at peace, McKinley was re-elected in a landslide in 1936 over William Jennings Bryan Jr. (1889-1978) a customs agent turned Senator from Nebraska and the younger brother of her 1896 challenger. Being beloved by her countrymen, though, did not save McKinley from suffering the same fate of her father, and he passed away from a fever in June 1937, age 65. While McKinley is not well remembered today, historians consider her to have been an above-average President.
25/6/1937-22/3/1945: 26) Theodore “Ted” Roosevelt III (D-AY) (lived 13 September 1887 – 12 July 1945, aged 57) – age in office: 49-57
Roosevelt was born in New York City, where his father was starting a political career in the Strength party. At age 14, he moved with his family to the frontier of Alyeska after his father was appointed the territory’s governor by President Lincoln. Roosevelt quickly adapted to frontier life, and after graduation from college in Vancouver, entered politics via election to the territory’s representorum. Roosevelt was more liberal than his father on economic issues, backing Democracier policies more often than Strongmen policies, creating a slight rift between the two of them. However, the father and son reconciled at the former deathbed in 1927. Roosevelt became one of Alyeska’s first two US Senator’s upon the region becoming a state in 1930, entering office as a “newly converted” Democracier. Roosevelt’s personal wealth and political connections helped him obtain the VP spot on the 1936 Demcoracy ticket. With a flair for understanding the complexity of business, lead a successful trade war against China soon after ascending to the Presidency. He easily won election to a full term in 1940 over the Strength party nominee, 66-year-old Bertha Parker Hall (1874-1956), a circuit judge and the US Attorney General under President Harrison. Meanwhile, socially, the NH movement began in earnest when an NH was lynched in South Carolina in 1940; with nothing left to lose, the aging Walsh came out in defense of nonheteros, comparing their struggle to the famous literary figure Josef Bevell from the 1856 novel
In Horizon’s Stare, about a black man whom disguises himself as a white man in order to survive in the Deep South. Walsh’s courage inspired a cautious populace to begin thinking that now was the time to “leave the darkness and enter society’s light,” as the common phrase (leave the darkness) for revealing oneself to be a NH came to be. Politically and privately, Roosevelt paid no mind to the movement to instead focus on winning a third term on the idea that he had only been elected once. The voters didn’t see it that way, and in November sent the Strength Party’s nominee to the Great House.
22/3/1945-22/3/1949: 27) Robert Alphonso Taft Sr. (S-OH) (lived 8 September 1889 – 31 July 1953, aged 63) – age in office: 55-59
After sixteen years in the political wilderness, the Strength party was ready to prove themselves worthy of being in the Great House once more. Taft was born into the wealthy Taft political family from Ohio; his father was Ultimate Court Chief Justice for over thirty years. As a Senator, Taft was a leading conservative. At the start of his Presidency, Taft blamed the economic downturn on wasteful spending, but his refusal to assist those suffering made his administration seem unwilling to do their jobs. This was especially unfortunate for administration members more worried about the smell of war wafting over from Europe – specifically, and again, from France. When war finally commenced, the US was slow to respond in the face of a stagnating economy and a lack of adequate funds necessary to modernize and mobilize the military. Privately, Taft feared supporting the ally-less France would isolate the US from the rest of the world – and all its needed imports. By the time American forces finally arrived in 1943, the French government was juggling secession movements on their outer territories and naval defeat after naval defeat at the hands of the allied British and Spanish. War ended rather quickly in 1944, with the French surrendering and the King abdicating in disgrace. The result was harsh for Americans, too, as it was the first war since the First American Revolution for which they were on the losing side. This bitterness would quickly lead to the US distancing itself from France during the early 1950s, effectively ending a friendship that had lasted for over 130 years. Politically, by underestimating their opponents at home and abroad, and being lethargic in finally but poorly responding to them, Taft and his administration had sealed the Strength Party’s doom.
22/3/1949-22/3/1957: 28) Jessie Woodrow Wilson (D-VA) (lived 28 August 1887 – 15 January 1975, aged 87) – age in office: 61-69
The most progressive President in decades came from fairly conservative roots in the southern states, where she first started out in politics via organizing her fellow ironworks employees for better healthcare. From there she continued her social activism into college and a career in academia, making her dyslexic father proud. After suffering some health issues in her 40s, Wilson started a career in the Senatorum, where she led grey-collar crime crackdowns and pushed for fairer housing. Her bipartisan streak made her at times oppose her own party’s stance on some issues to the annoyance of politicians but to the enjoyment and approval of the American people. She won the 1948 election in a landslide. In 1952, in a bigger landslide, Wilson won a second term over Charles Evans Hughes Jr. (1889-1970), a man considered to be one of the nation’s greatest lawyers and circuit judges whom Taft had appointed to the Supreme Court in 1945; Hughes retired to private practice after the election. Wilson made good on her 1948 and 1952 promises and created several “societal development” programs still in use today. Overseas, Wilson contributed to the economic relief sent to war-torn Europe (and even eased tension between US and the UK by turning attention to the stars, to an idea that had been gaining the attention of the world’s governments since the 1930s…) but otherwise remained diplomatically neutral as the people continued to reel from the shock of military defeat. Wilson also took a bold step in denouncing France’s dictatorial new leader over his trade aggression toward Russia (officially, the United Democratic Republic of Russia) in 1953. Her activism continued on after leaving the Great House.
22/3/1957-15/9/1959: 29) Elizabeth Ann “Lizzie” Harding (D-OH) (lived 22 October 1919 – 15 September 1959, 39) – age in office: 37-39
Harding was the US’s third female President, and the US’s youngest President ever, entering office at the age of 37. Harding was born in Ohio to a politically-minded newspaper publisher father and his second wife, a woman 31 years younger than him. Harding was Ohio’s first female Governor. In 1956, presenting herself as a younger and more energetic version of President Wilson, Harding won over James M. Cox Jr. (1903-1974), a reporter-turned-publisher-turned moderate former Governor of their shared home state (her predecessor to said office, in fact), in a huge landslide. President Harding continued Wilson’s policies and increased the US’s humanitarian efforts abroad. Trade was maintained with Asia, and the expansion of scientific discovery progressed onward. Interest in space however, was piqued with the manned British-American moonrocket Arrow-5 touching down near the Moon’s North Pole in the summer of 1959. Unfortunately, tensions mounted with Quebec when French-speaking farmers began a militia war with Vermonters over a land dispute caused by a simple translation error. Harding called for an immediate ceasefire despite US troops being overwhelmingly defeated. Additionally, the Vice-President’s military-career brother was killed in the “Montpelier Raid,” and so the ceasefire decision put a strain on Harding's relationship with Coolidge. The move made her unpopular to one warhawk too many – in September 1959, a disgruntled veteran shot and killed Harding. Her parents attended the funeral, but at ages 93 and 62, were too overcome with grieve to make any public remarks at the time. Harding is buried in Rosaryville National Cemetery, and is often looked back on as a martyred champion for various causes, leaving many to still ponder the possibilities of what could have been eight (or even more) years of Harding in the Great House.
15/9/1959-22/3/1965: 30) John Calvin Coolidge III (D-VT) (lived 7 September 1906 – 31 May 2000, aged 93) – age in office: 53-58
Coolidge’s father and grandfather were politicians in Vermont, and “J.C.C.3” was no exception. The Coolidge family, being longtime Strongmen, were taken aback by John’s switching to the Democracy party in the face of the collapse of the Strength Party in 1944. He was elected a Senator in 1946 and to the Vice-Presidency in 1956. Upon becoming President, Coolidge pledged to fulfill Harding’s plan of establishing an international government diplomacy and communication organization aimed at preventing warfare (and idea in development since the late 1940s) – this culminated in the founding of the AAN (Association of All Nations) in the autumn of 1960. After winning a full term in 1960 (winning over Representor Julia McDonald Davis (1900-1993)), Coolidge reformed the federal departments concerning the treatment of veterans and mental health, in light of the Harding assassination and subsequent trial bringing the need for such change into the public’s view. Politically, Coolidge leaned to the moderately conservative side of most issues, disrupting voter demographics in 1964 and 1968. Overseas, the collapse of France emboldened independence movements across the African continent but made Quebec politically uneasy; in the face of rising hostilities with the US, a nation that by this point territorially almost completely surrounded them, Quebec had no major political allies anymore. Coolidge saw this opportunity to avenge his fellow countrypeople (including his brother, whose death allegedly brought about their Father's death at the age of 87 in early 1960), and sent “peacekeeping” forces into Quebec. Coolidge heavily considered running for a second full term, but once America’s flag was proudly erected atop Quebec’s Federal Capital Building, he knew his job was done. Besides, his Commerce Secretary had already made his hopes known.
22/3/1965-22/3/1969: 31) Herbert Charles Hoover (D-WA) (lived 4 August 1903 – 9 July 1969, aged 65) – age in office: 61-65
Hoover the first US President born overseas, in China to a mining engineer couple overseeing operations in Tianjin; enjoying the experience of visiting countries all over the world, Hoover went into the family business, and eventually worked to improve worker conditions on the theory that happier workers are more productive workers. In 1943, Hoover won a US government contract to supply material for weapons for the War of 1941-1944. After witnessing warfare in post-French Empire Europe, Hoover became a humanitarian, and founded numerous charities and organizations. He continued to support peace and cooperation between barrios groups during his eight years as the US Secretary of Commerce. Hoover won the 1964 Presidential election over New York’s Governor Alfred E. Smith Jr. (b. circa 1901) via an optimistic campaign. While Hoover valiantly confronted the rise of a dictator in South Australia by backing the clandestine coup that overthrew him, Hoover proved ineffective in handling the US’s sharp economic downturn in late 1965 – ironic, given his career in commerce. Hoover believed throwing money at societal development programs would help, but instead it increased market inflation, making the situation much worse. Knowing he would lose, rather than fight on, he resigned himself to a single term. As expected, the 1968 Democracy Party nominee lost that November’s general election, ending 20 tumultuous years of Democraciers in the Great House. Hoover’s post-Presidency was unexpectedly short – a massive stroke ended his life just 3½ after he left office. While his defenders claim he did his best, and may have done more for the country out of office than in office, most historians still consider Hoover to have been a very poor President.
22/3/1969-12/5/1981: 32) Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr. (I-NY) (lived 17 August 1914 – 12 May 1981, aged 66) – age in office: 54-66
After the Strength Part’s collapses, several other political parties tried to fill the void. The Virtuous Party, the Bold Party, the Pioneer Party, the Frontier Party, the Dynamic Party, and others – all tried and failed to catch on. Finally, the Innovation Party – a socially and fiscally liberal “helping hand” party, its members calling themselves innovationists – capitalized on the economy’s effects and entered the Great House on a wave of anti-establishmentism. They also carried the vote of the conquered Kwebekens, vehemently anti-Democracier. And even those Kwebekens that didn’t vote, to protest their “involuntary dependence,” look forward to Roosevelt’s promised federal funding and expansion of rights. Roosevelt was a very busy President. The charismatic former Governor of New York immediately worked to alleviate the conditions of the unemployed. Within his first year in office, infrastructure projects raised the employment rates, and led the introduction of innovative crop production methods to combat hunger. Also in 1969, the Ultimate Court approved NH Marriage as constitutional, 50 years after the NH movement’s start. By 1972, the US’s economy was in considerably better shape, leading Roosevelt winning a second term over Senator Nancy Landon in a landslide. With his second term came renewed interest in the space program, as the confirmation that pollution was affecting weather patterns (labelled GWD (Global Weather Disruption)) made some scientists call for the human race expanding other planets. Proposals for exploring Mars were put on hold, though, when war broke out in 1975 amidst China breaking with the AAN and invading the nations of Siberia and the Central Asia Federation in the name of zhu de fangjian (“room to live”). Roosevelt distrusted his VP, other Innovation candidates, and soon announced that he was breaking with tradition and running for a third term. In a narrow upset, he won over politician Phil Willkie (D-IN). Roosevelt led the charge against China, receiving help from India, Japan, and the UK in a rejection and worldwide condemnation of China’s genocidal warpath. In 1979, the Chinese government collapsed from the pressure of its multi-front war. The horrors of the genocides were broadcast on people’s personal panopticon screens across the globe; sociologists believe the unprecedented number of people exposed to such atrocities essentially “shocked the world into socio-political correctness.” Afterwards, schools across the continents became stricter over expressions of bias, prejudice and hatred, and instead urged the world’s youth to communicate and respect each other. Roosevelt, however, did not live to even see the beginning of this urging’s long-term effects – after winning re-election in 1944, the President died in office at the age of 66 after an extended battle with advanced lung cancer, the result of decades of smoking (despite the public being aware of the effects of tobacco since the 1930s). Roosevelt is often considered one of America’s best Presidents ever. Even still, Roosevelt has been criticized for not stepping down after twelve years despite being well aware of his poor health, leading to his predecessor passing term limits on the Presidency in early 1984. Another law still on the books requires that all presidential candidates must prove their physical health via the release of their medical records. FDR died after an international mission to Mars blasted off but before the crew actually landed there.
12/5/1981-22/3/1989: 33) Mary Margaret Truman (I-MO) (lived 17 February 1924 – 29 January 2008, aged 83) – age in office: 57-65
In the years since the development of the panopticon, or pano (an audio-visual communications/entertainemt consul) in the 1930s and its commercial availability since the 1940s, celluloid entertainers, called "cellos," since the 1970s, had become popular celebrities followed and adored by their fans. Mary Truman was briefly one of these “cellulidols,” as they were called in her day. In fact, Truman tried several careers before turning to politics, building up a colorful resume: she tried her hand as a soprano singer, a stage performer, a journalist, a pano show host, a mystery writer, and she even tried to become a businessman like her father, the founder of a large haberdashery chain in the Great Lakes region of the country. Ultimately, she served as Governor of Missouri from 1973 to 1981, then as VP from March to May of 1981. Truman was not as liberal as her predecessor, especially concerning her attitude towards Kwebek, which was still majority-French-speaking; the region’s 1963 conquest was still unrecognized by roughly 40% of the AAN in 1980. To combat this and support a sense of national unity, Truman signed into law legislation in 1982 that made English the official language of the US, effectively forcing teachers in Kwebek to teach students English as National Highway workers began replacing French public street signs in Kwebek with English ones. These alleged “crimes against freedom of regional choice” were overshadowed nationally and internationally, however, when President Truman sent troops overseas to prevent warfare from developing in the overpopulated subcontinent of India. In the last year of her term, the AAN began construction of a “world colony” on the moon in the “Age of Space,” along with the privatization of rocket travel as the technology was released to the public during the 1980s and used by various businesses seeking to allow for the average (wealthy) citizen to travel/tour Mars and the Moon, or to travel government material and equipment to colony sites on Mars and the Moon. Truman took a retirement unusually quiet for a former President, dying in natural causes and being buried in Missouri in 2008.
22/3/1989-22/3/1997: 34) John Sheldon Doud Eisenhower (D-AB) (lived 3 August 1922 – 21 December 2013, aged 91) – age in office: 66-74
John Eisenhower broke with his family’s pacifist roots – his grandmother opposed the Kanaedian War, and his father became the head of anti-war organizations such as the Red Cross and the Peace Corp – by joining the Army in 1940. After fighting in Europe, Eisenhower rose in rank while overseeing the military redeveloping and modernizing itself in the 1950s. This changes were instrumental in the Kwebek War, for which he became a General and a household name among Americans. Eisenhower was also an instrumental military leader in the World War of 1975-1979, leading to calls for him to run for President. After refusing to run in 1984, Eisenhower accepted the nomination of the Democracy Party; He was twice elected from Alberta over Adlai Stevenson III, a former member of the Roosevelt and Truman administrations. Under his two terms, the post-war economic boom continued, and Earth Moon Colony One began operations. Additional, in a major step in a social movement possibly connected to the NH movement, the Ultimate Court ruled in favor of the western state of Josephia’s push to finally legalize polygamy. After eight years of ensuring peace at home and abroad, Eisenhower left office with high approval ratings.
22/3/1997-30/11/1999: 35) Caroline Bouvier Kennedy (I-MA) (lived 27 November 1957 – 30 November 1999, aged 42) – age in office: 39-42
Caroline Kennedy was born into the wealthy Kennedy political family; her uncle, Joseph Kennedy, served as a US Senator from 1947 until his death, and ran for President several times. The third child of the political thriller writer Jack Kennedy and his second wife Jackie Bouvier, Kennedy became a doctor after witnessing the suffering her father went through while battling his lifelong health issues. She was celebrated internationally for leading the team that discovered the cure for Addison’s disease in 1990. In 1992, the Governor Massachusetts appointed an initially reluctant Kennedy to her late uncle’s vacant senatorum seat. From there, she launched a Presidential campaign focusing on increasing the quality of human life. Kennedy championed improving the conditions of the lower classes, and balanced the nation’s budget for the first time since 1983. Her administration also oversaw the giving of aid to drought- and famine- plagued regions of Africa. Meanwhile, space exploration was continuing in earnest. In 1999, while departing to visit the EMC1, making her the first head of state ever to leave earth’s atmosphere while in office, Kennedy’s rocketshuttle suffered a mechanical malfunction, leading to its explosion two-thirds of the way there. The official report blamed Chinese manufacturers for the malfunction, resurrecting tension between the two countries and the next millennium dawned. Some conspiracy theories that even still linger on the panonet allege the malfunction was the work of sabotage, not human error.
30/11/1999-22/3/2005: 36) Lynda Bird Johnson (I-TJ) (lived 19 March 1944 – 29 February 2034, aged 89) – age in office: 55-61
The sixth female US President (and first US President from Tejas) had humble origins – part of a long line of poor farmers, her father was convicted for election fraud under the white-collar crime crackdowns of the 1940s, contributing to her developing an independent personality. After briefly serving in the Army (after its gender integration under Presidents Wilson and Harding) during the Kwebek War, Johnson turned her attention to politics. She served in the Representorum, then in the Senatorum (where she quickly became the Innovation Party’s senatorum leader), and then as the nation’s first Tejan Vice President. Her predecessor’s demise prompted Preisdent Johnson to shift focus to more Earth-bound debates such as whether or not HGE (Human Genetic Engineering) should be made commercially obtainable, and promoting increasing the use of automation in the US’s space industry in order to avoid any further human errors. In the AAN, Johnson controversially, gave the Russians, Indians and British more control of AAN Federal Space Funds. Meanwhile, her initial domestic successes led to Johnson being elected to a full term in 2000 in a near-landslide against 62-year-old US Senator Barry Goldwater Jr. of Arizona. Johnson relished in her moon-high approval ratings. But then the Brazilian Confederation invaded The De La Plata Empire, and Johnson had to choose – appease the increasingly isolationist Democraciers in Congress, or put her domestic programs on hold to restore peace in South America? Johnson chose the latter, and (thanks to the carnage of warfare at a time where even the destitute have access to cameras) lost re-election as a result. In a twist, the war would quickly come to a close during Johnson’s lame-duck period.
22/3/2005-4/8/2010: 37) Patricia “Tricia” Nixon (D-NV) (lived 21 February 1946 – 3 January 2041, aged 94) – age in office: 59-64
Tricia Nixon detested violence on account of her father dying from his 1943 war wounds in 1947, resulting in Nixon’s mother, Pat Nixon, working multiple jobs and ultimately founding a chain of pharmacies in Pat's native Nevada. Tricia Nixon entered politics on an anti-war/anti-Eisenhower platform, and served in the Senatorum from 1995 to 2005 before winning the 2004 Presidential election over President Johnson and her running mate, Vice President Skip Humphrey. In office, Nixon blamed poverty on the lack of “Individual Independence” and reliance of government assistance (citing her mother’s rags-to-riches life), making her an instant friend of the wealthy. In 2008, despite protests to her cutting several programs in order to balance the budget, Nixon won re-election in a landslide over the scandal-riddled 56-year-old US Senator Steven McGovern. In 2010, though, Nixon was forced out of office for her involvement in covering up a national scandal (astronauts sent to “found” Europa in 2009 ended up dying in space because of a US-made oversight in the rocket’s design, but initially blamed the Russian manufacturers; both the lie and the truth greatly damaged US-Russia diplomatic relations, but thankfully did not lead to any sabre-rattling). Nixon resigned in disgrace and led a quiet retirement on her large ranch in Nevada. She remains a highly controversial figure.
4/8/2010-22/3/2013: 38) Michael Gerald “Mike” Ford (D-ON) (lived 14 March 1950 – 17 July 2041, aged 91) – age in office: 60-63
The ascension of Mike Ford ended thirteen straight years of female US Presidents. Ford spent most of his adult life as a minister, organizing food distribution efforts in the Great Lakes region and touting socially conservative views. After working for the Eisenhower and Nixon cabinets, and briefly as an interim Senator from Ontario, Tricia Nixon convinced him to be her running mate in 2008. As President, Ford sought to make amends with the US and the international community for Nixon’s cover-up, but controversially chose to pardon most of those involved on "the principle of forgiveness.” Ford campaigned against polygamy and human genetic engineering, with laws against them existing in roughly half of the US’s states at this point in time. Because these views were considered “radical,” Ford lost his bid for the 2012 Democracy nomination, and returned to being a minister soon after leaving office.
22/3/2013-22/3/2017: 39) John William “Jack” Carter (I-GA) (lived 3 July 1947 – 20 September 2051, aged 104) – age in office: 65-69
Jack Carter was an eight-generation Georgian whose family had spent generations working as peanut farmer. While Governor, and then President, Carter directed attention to crop production in the face of the world surpassing 9 billion people in 2005. The Carter Presidency featured emboldened anti-poverty programs, health care system reforms, and returning federal government interest in Space Development in light of the AAN’s Mars projects; Carter famously exclaimed at the AAN in 2015 that “John Carter is a friend to Mars.” Unfortunately for his bid for a second term, the mining of valuable materials on Europa tanked the value of metals on Earth, collapsing that part of the economy and creating a domino effect that left thousands laid off and even homeless. With only 20% of the nation’s jobs being automated and vocational skills being heavily underdeveloped among the populace, there was simply no time left before the election to impede the calamity that was the Great Recession of 2016.
22/3/2017-22/3/2025: 40) Michael Edward Reagan (b. John Flaugher) (D-CA) (lived 18 March 1945 – 2 February 2034, aged 88) – age in office: 72-80
Michael Reagan, the adopted son of conservative actor/activist Ronald Reagan, followed in Ronald’s footsteps. Reagan appeared in bit parts in various performances before moving into a fruitful career as an author and radio talk show host. After supporting Goldwater in 2000, Reagan successfully ran for Governor of Caliphornia in 2002, and served from 2003 to 2011, during which time he became popular to national Democraciers but controversial to Caliphornites. After election to the Presidency, Reagan [worked diligently to alleviate the country’s financial foes, first calling for a freeze on prices and the legalization of military weaponry and other item to civilians to boost trust in the markets again. He raised taxes to raises not seen in decades, and as the months went on, President Reagan proved himself to be even more conservative than Ford, even more so on social issues. However, the man’s efforts brought back enough job cards and dollar bills to the pockets of enough of his countrypersons for Reagan to win re-election in 2020 to former VP Ted Mondale in a near-landslide. In 2023, however, a scandal broke concerning the President’s financial ties to questionable war-related activities abroad. While the issue never escalated to the extent of the Nixon Cover-up Scandal, the controversy still casted a shadow on the remainder of his second/final term. Reagan was the US’s oldest President at the time, leaving office at the age of 80 and dying nine years later.
22/3/2025-22/3/2029: 41) George Walker Bush (D-TJ) (lived 6 July 1946 – 28 August 2049, aged 103) – age in office: 78-82
Bush was a poor businessman in the coil energy industry, an ineffective Governor of Tejas for 16 non-consecutive years, a gaffe-prone VP and even worse President that his predecessor. After a second but much smaller recession occurred in 2025, Bush made the situation worse by diverting resources overseas in a senseless war against the Namibians over metals needed for Outer Space Development after negotiations broke down in early 2026. Despite abysmal approval ratings and multiple health problems, Bush ran for a second term on a campaign with basically no platform outside of claiming that the Innovation Party’s nominee would make the situation even worse; few agreed, and the Democraciers suffered their worse Presidential defeat in decades. Right before leaving office, Bush approved a change in the US’s term limit laws, limiting Presidents to only two
consecutive terms. Bush’s legacy has been viewed in only slightly softer light in recent years, as most historians agree that his foreign policy was disastrous and his economic handling subpar at best. After leaving office, he retired from politics and returned to his family ranch in Tejas.
22/3/2029-22/3/2037: 42) Chelsea Victoria Clinton (I-IL) (born 27 February 1980, age 74) – age in office: 49-57
Chelsea always defied the odds – even before she was even born. Her parents – an activist mother from Cahokia, Illinoi and a musician father from Faith, Arkansaw – met by chance while campaigning for Franklin Roosevelt in St. Louis, Mazoori, in 1968, but broke up in 1981 for numerous reasons. Clinton followed her mother into politics via election to Illinoi’s state senatorum. Clinton then gained national praise for her opposition to Reagan and Bush while in the US Senatorum from 2015 to 2029. In 2028, Clinton won over the incumbent and a major non-party candidate in a landslide. Meanwhile, the Union of Europe relished in the discovery of wealthy mineral deposits on Europa, leading to a continent-wide rebate for every citizen. Clinton was re-elected in another landslide over 77-year-old Robin Dole of Kansas on the promise to further the US’s investments in Outer Space Development. Businesses were given federal loan packages to promote building faster and safer rockets and other equipment in order to catch up with the rest of the planet in the mining of Europa. This lead to the discovery of Contained Fission Power in 2034. Despite Clinton’s popularity, her vice-President failed to win the 2036 election.
22/3/2037-22/3/2045: 43) Jenna Welch Bush (D-TJ) (born 25 November 1981, age 72) – age in office: 55-63
Nobody expected another President Bush just eight years after “Disastrous G.W.B.,” which is why so many underestimated Jenna Bush’s candidacy. The Governor of Tejas since 2027, the conservative firebrand was noticeably more active, successful, and popular in the state than her father had ever been. In 2036, the 54-year-old Vice President, Al Gore III, did not take her challenge seriously despite Bush repeatedly bringing up his past history of substance abuse, his deep connections to the Washington establishment, and his incredibly boring personality. On Election Day, more of Bush’s excited base voted than Gore’s more apathetic supporters, leading to a very narrow upset. The biggest issue at the start of the Jenna Bush Presidency was the potential for planetary damage of mining out moons? On Earth, sentience was detected in a group of product design robots, sparking debate over its implications and then some. In the midst of the economy doing well and the AAN successfully maintaining positive relations among the world’s nations, Bush was re-elected over a 67-year-old Senator from Massachusetts, Dr. Alexandra Kerry. In 2041, though, China’s earth mines began running out of rare Earth metals, collapsing the nation’s inflated economy and creating a humanitarian crisis as millions of Chinese became destitute. This took up much of Bush’s remaining time in office, and the failure to find an immediate solution doomed the 2044 campaign of Vice President Mary Cheney (America’s first non-straight Vice-President), whom lost that year’s Democracy nomination to 58-year-old US Navy Admiral John McCain IV.
22/3/2045-22/3/2053: 44) Natasha “Sasha” Obama (I-OH) (born 10 June 2001, age 52) – age in office: 43-51
To many, the USA getting an African-American President was long overdue. While African-Americans once made up roughly 20% of the US population, the increase in immigrants and the absorption of the mostly white regions of Kanaedia shrunk that number to a mere 9% by the year 2020. Nevertheless, the election of the nation’s first African-American President was celebrated the nation over. With her vice-president, 74-year-old Hunter Biden, Obama addressed the growing debates over the appropriate use of technology, as questions ranging from babies to RS (Robot Sentience) to employment to transhumanism. Winning re-election over Cyborg-American former Utah Governor Tagg Romney, Obama’s second term featured the rise of an Independence movement among the workers and families living on Mars, whom believed they were highly unrepresented by their respective Earth governments. The drama would reach its height, though, under Obama’s successor.
22/3/2053-present (June 2054): 45) Barron William Trump (D-BC) (born 20 March 2006, age 48) – age when entering office: 47
After much consideration, former President Chelsea took advantage of President George W. Bush’s 2028 term limit change to run for a third term in 2052. Unfortunately for her supporters, most voters opposed this, and instead voted in a political outsider. While not the first businessman without any prior experience to be elected President, Barron Trump is still noteworthy for his early athletic career as a professional soccer player before turning to business. Trump took over his family’s real-estate venture after his father and brothers were imprisoned for a multitude of crimes during the 2020s and 2030s. Trump successfully revamped Trump Towers’ image and internal workings, making it one of the most transparent corporations on the continent. Many hope that this transparency will carry on into the Great House, lest Trump suffer the same fate of his father.
