AJND: The Lost Generation (An Elseworlds Tale)
Owen Brewster Golson is the 15th President of the United States of the American Nation and is the 11th member of the powerful Golson family to hold this position. He was recently reelected for an 8th term in 2452, matching the number of terms held by his predecessor and great-uncle, Enoch Golson. The current President Golson was born the youngest of 11 children to Hannibal Golson III, and wasn't expected to amount to much. In fact, he was scheduled to be sent to the seminary to become a Columbianist priest, but following a train accident that killed most of the members of his family, he attended the U.S. Military Academy in North Bend. He was an average student academically, but became known for his rather vocal political beliefs. After graduation, he was commissioned in the U.S. Army's Tank Service.
Due to his family connections, Owen Brewster Golson rose quickly through the ranks, becoming a regiment commander before his 25th birthday and a corps commander before his 30th. He was an adequate and competent military commander, but he wasn't particularly popular with the soldiers under his command. He was not great tactical genius, instead relying on superior technology and training to defeat over matched enemies. He was reckless and took great risks that often lead to large losses of life on both sides. Despite this, he was victorious more often than not, and became a favorite in the Army's General Staff. He was given command of the Army of the Massc during the Massac Expedition to recapture the eponymous hollow world. Despite being frequently outnumbered, Golson was known to remark "it's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog" and charge headfirst into battle. The Army of the Massac never numbered more than 120,000 soldiers at its height, but it sustained more than 50,000 casualties while under Golson's command.
During this time, Golson was simultaneously well liked by the General Staff but was also seen as something of a liability due to the mounting casualties. The General Staff arranged for the Itawaba Soldiers Circles to elect Golson to the U.S. Senate to replace the retiring Senator Hubbard Johnson. While he was publically viewed as a bit of a bumbling idiot, Golson proved to be a shrewd politician. He was charismatic and popular with voters and non-voter citizens, and supported expansion of public works and rural electrification in newly reconquered territories. He took a hardline nativist and xenophobic stance on immigration, supporting measures to limit and curtail immigration from non-American nations in the Plutonian system. He also encouraged the military to be harsher on opposition and rebellions in occupied territory, including mass deportations, forced labor and hostage taking, all of which he had used extensively during the Massac Expedition. He was able to outmanuver other members of the Golson family to rise to the top and become a close confidant to the aging Enoch Golson.
Owen Brewster Golson was appointed Secretary of State in 2417. During his 7 years in the State Department, he began to draw American satellites closer into the orbit, colluding with the Federation of Freedom's International Bureau and the Catholic League to crack down on anti-American sentiment. He was also a staunch opponent of the Alliance of Industrial Workers, frequently targeting them abroad for sanctions and direct action. When Enoch Golson announced he was stepping down as President after the conclusion of his 8th term in 2425, Owen Brewster Golson was an early frontrunner, but he still faced significant opposition from other factions within the Federation for Freedom. He won the party's nomination and was easily elected President and has been elected to seven more terms. His administration has largely continued the policies that he became known for as a Senator. The military's reconquest of the Plutonian system has sped up rapidly, as has the harshness of American occupations (for every American soldier killed, 5 civilian hostages are shot, which has lead to significant depopulations). The American power grid is being rebuilt to rely on hydrolectricity and wind power as the final atomic reactors have run out of fuel. American satellites have been drawn in closer and have effectively no sovereignty or autonomy anymore. Almost all foreign immigration has stopped, saved for forced labor imported from the reconquered Marches. As he entered his 8th term in office as an octogenarian, Owen Brewster Golson has shown no signs of slowing down or stopping.
Owen Brewster Golson is the 15th President of the United States of the American Nation and is the 11th member of the powerful Golson family to hold this position. He was recently reelected for an 8th term in 2452, matching the number of terms held by his predecessor and great-uncle, Enoch Golson. The current President Golson was born the youngest of 11 children to Hannibal Golson III, and wasn't expected to amount to much. In fact, he was scheduled to be sent to the seminary to become a Columbianist priest, but following a train accident that killed most of the members of his family, he attended the U.S. Military Academy in North Bend. He was an average student academically, but became known for his rather vocal political beliefs. After graduation, he was commissioned in the U.S. Army's Tank Service.
Due to his family connections, Owen Brewster Golson rose quickly through the ranks, becoming a regiment commander before his 25th birthday and a corps commander before his 30th. He was an adequate and competent military commander, but he wasn't particularly popular with the soldiers under his command. He was not great tactical genius, instead relying on superior technology and training to defeat over matched enemies. He was reckless and took great risks that often lead to large losses of life on both sides. Despite this, he was victorious more often than not, and became a favorite in the Army's General Staff. He was given command of the Army of the Massc during the Massac Expedition to recapture the eponymous hollow world. Despite being frequently outnumbered, Golson was known to remark "it's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog" and charge headfirst into battle. The Army of the Massac never numbered more than 120,000 soldiers at its height, but it sustained more than 50,000 casualties while under Golson's command.
During this time, Golson was simultaneously well liked by the General Staff but was also seen as something of a liability due to the mounting casualties. The General Staff arranged for the Itawaba Soldiers Circles to elect Golson to the U.S. Senate to replace the retiring Senator Hubbard Johnson. While he was publically viewed as a bit of a bumbling idiot, Golson proved to be a shrewd politician. He was charismatic and popular with voters and non-voter citizens, and supported expansion of public works and rural electrification in newly reconquered territories. He took a hardline nativist and xenophobic stance on immigration, supporting measures to limit and curtail immigration from non-American nations in the Plutonian system. He also encouraged the military to be harsher on opposition and rebellions in occupied territory, including mass deportations, forced labor and hostage taking, all of which he had used extensively during the Massac Expedition. He was able to outmanuver other members of the Golson family to rise to the top and become a close confidant to the aging Enoch Golson.
Owen Brewster Golson was appointed Secretary of State in 2417. During his 7 years in the State Department, he began to draw American satellites closer into the orbit, colluding with the Federation of Freedom's International Bureau and the Catholic League to crack down on anti-American sentiment. He was also a staunch opponent of the Alliance of Industrial Workers, frequently targeting them abroad for sanctions and direct action. When Enoch Golson announced he was stepping down as President after the conclusion of his 8th term in 2425, Owen Brewster Golson was an early frontrunner, but he still faced significant opposition from other factions within the Federation for Freedom. He won the party's nomination and was easily elected President and has been elected to seven more terms. His administration has largely continued the policies that he became known for as a Senator. The military's reconquest of the Plutonian system has sped up rapidly, as has the harshness of American occupations (for every American soldier killed, 5 civilian hostages are shot, which has lead to significant depopulations). The American power grid is being rebuilt to rely on hydrolectricity and wind power as the final atomic reactors have run out of fuel. American satellites have been drawn in closer and have effectively no sovereignty or autonomy anymore. Almost all foreign immigration has stopped, saved for forced labor imported from the reconquered Marches. As he entered his 8th term in office as an octogenarian, Owen Brewster Golson has shown no signs of slowing down or stopping.
