Richard Nixon is (both fondly and less so) remembered as the second most ruthless FBI Director in the bureau's existence. As an agent he grew to be a great ally of J. Edgar Hoover and was personally involved in COINTELPRO, helping compile an 'enemies list' for the program to target. Despite his involvement in the targeting of civil rights figures such as Martin Luther King, he was instrumental in the arrest of Byron de la Beckweth, who was behind the murder of campaigner Medgar Evers in 1962. He also personally criticised Hoover over inaction regarding Emmett Till's murder. He presided over the successful Jonestown Siege, where radical preacher Jim Jones and his "flock" were taken into custody with minimal damage done. By the time of Hoover's death, Nixon's personal reputation as the Most Notorious Agent In America and The Man Who Crippled the Black Panthers led him to be slotted by President Baker as his successor. While FBI Director, Nixon would conduct his own ruthless operations against drug pushers and gangbangers, especially in poor African American cities like Baltimore and Chicago. This brought him into conflict with President Heston as knowledge of the operations only came to him in 1980, after much recrimination and violence. Heston became cautious of firing Nixon, aware that it was an election year and that he was aware of how much incriminating data he could have. The election of John Gavin allowed Nixon even more power as he ramped up illegal wiretapping against alleged "subversives". Terror attacks by supporters of Palestine and MOVE put Gavin under great strain and led him to allow Nixon to compile a list of "extreme threats" to the United States. By the time of the Clements administration, the FBI seemingly had more power than any time in its history. This would change drastically after misplaced intelligence led FBI forces to conduct a raid on what they thought were MOVE headquarters, which turned out to be a community centre. A dozen deaths as a result of the botch led to Nixon's resignation in 1990. He would go on to become a commentator on foreign policy until his death in 1998, leaving behind a controversial reputation.
Gerald "Gerry" Ford is regarded as one of Michigan's finest. Going straight from an economics degree at the University of Michigan to the Detroit Lions, he became one of their most formidable players, bringing them to victory in 1937 and 1941 as well as reaching the Championship Game in 1939. He took a break in 1942 to serve his country in World War 2, returning in 1946, later on helping win in 1951. He retired, but only briefly, before he became the Lions' Head Coach, while also engaging in philanthropic activities. He had success in this venture, before retiring from football for good in 1965. He was shot dead by a cop in the 1967 Detroit Riots. The Gerald Ford Arena was built in Grand Rapids in 1993.
The Reverend James Carter is notorious within the Southern Baptist Convention for his frequent squabbles with other leadership figures and in particular the Grahams and Falwells. He has often been at the forefront of speaking out against greed and warmongering, which puts him in conflict with his more conservative counterparts. He has taken part in charity operations for over thirty years and the Carter Foundation donates hundreds of millions each year to helping the global poor.
Ronald Reagan, while not quite one of the legends of Hollywood, stands fairly reputable by the standards of today. Brought to stardom by his role in King's Row, he would eventually go on to play George Bailey's younger brother Harry in Frank Capra's It's A Wonderful Life. His success would gradually grow over the course of the late 1940's, appearing in moderate supporting roles in movies like Sunset Boulevard. However, his appeal began to dry up, and in desperation he turned to work for the director Ed Wood, playing parts in Glen or Glenda? and rather notoriously, Plan 9 From Outer Space. Work failed to pop up to him and eventually, he retired from acting in the late 1960's, his last "gig" being a series of advertisements for Marlboro Cigarettes. He became notable again in the late 90's when he lead an awareness campaign regarding Alzheimers, before dying in 2006.
George Bush has become something of the typical image of a modern day oilman, ten gallon hat and all. After moving out to Texas from New England to make a name for himself in the market, he set up Zapata Petroleum with a number of friends. Through his association with the company, he was travelling worldwide, particularly concentrating on Mexico and the Caribbean. He made four attempts at winning electoral office in Texas as a Republican, in 1964, 1966, 1968, and 1970. The last attempt swore him off for good, and he remained with the company. During this period, Bush led the company to merge with the nascent Exxon company. In 1975, he was promoted to CEO after a very impressive number of years working within the company. While CEO, he would have to deal with a continuing global oil slump that was only slowly dying, as well as an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 1982. He handled these deftly, and when he handed over power in 1992, Exxon's profits had nearly doubled. He went on to become a prominent donor in the Republican party.
Jeff Blythe has received an exaggerated, somewhat image as a result of the biopic starring Woody Harrelson released some years back but his life was a wild ride nonetheless. Born in Hope to a travelling salesman and a nurse, the young Blythe spent most of his early life there, his father eventually moving the family out to east Texas when their son was about six years old. Clinton excelled in high school and eventually moved on out to Georgetown University, where he began pursuing a career in law. After graduating from Yale, he worked briefly at the Dallas DA's office before setting up his own private practice. He rather notoriously defended Major James D. Quayle at his Court Martial for possible friendly fire in the Cyprus War (Quayle was acquitted, going on to become Secretary of Defense under President Springsteen), then helping put the murderer Ted Bundy behind bars, something which would earn him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. His success as a trial lawyer would end up being a detriment to him, as he began hosting lavish parties at his Manhattan Condo and developed a serious cocaine addiction. His habit of philandering was also a badly kept secret on the New York nightlife scene. He features as an inspiration to Patrick Bateman in Bret Easton Ellis' novel
American Psycho. The 90's became a cooldown period for him as he worked on a number of smaller cases across Texas, while the new millennium provided him new opportunities as the world of cyber crime grew. In 2005 his lifetime of poor eating habits caught up to him and he succumbed to a heart attack.
George Bush Junior is often considered your typical "dumb son of a businessman," in spite of his own successes. Initially, he worked low level at Exxon (his marriage to FBI Director Nixon's daughter led him to be considered for a role at the Bureau but eventually there had proved to be too much internal opposition) before going on to become more interested in sports. He owned the Texas Rangers and later was appointed Commissioner of Baseball, where he became very popular with traditional fans for his folksy, cowboyish nature. Reports of his cocaine usage and DUI led him to step down for a few years before moving on to football, where he purchased the Jacksonville Jaguars. This was a bit of a disaster, and after the Jaguars left the 2000 Superbowl early, he stepped down. In 2005, he purchased the Dallas Cowboys, where he had much better luck.
Barack Obama is often considered the intellectual leader of the Supreme Court's liberal wing, and a personal friend of President Springsteen. A remarkably talented and intelligent young man in Harvard, he entered the practice of law for a time, being nominated to the position of Attorney for New York's Southern District in 1998 at the young age of 37. He served admirably in this position for three years before being appointed to the DC Circuit Court, where he ruled in favour of gun restrictions and against unlawful strip searches. Even many of his detractors noted his skill as a juror and the consistency of his dissents. This got him noticed by President Gephardt, who was looking for a younger nominee following the retirement of liberal lion Shirley Hufstedler. Obama easily sailed through his confirmation hearings, and has become one of the most respected judges, having presided over the legalisation of gay marriage, the upholding of fusion balloting in three states across the country, and the upholding of mass deportations conducted by the Brownback administration.
If you were to speak of
Donald Trump only a few years ago, you would hear nothing but praise. The notoriously narcissistic film producer got his start in USC film school, his decision to study there met with disdain by his father. He used his connections to get in with the Hollywood crowd and he secured his first major movie deal in 1976, starring as Billy Nolan in the adaption of Stephen King's book
Carrie. This would be followed up with a number of other successes, in particular Lex Luthor in 1979's
Superman and then Rupert Thorne in 1982's
Batman. Over the years Trump became a sparring partner of Warren Beatty, and the two were formidable foes for many years. Trump set up his own studio in 1990, financing the likes of the Coen Brothers and Robert Zemeckis, whose career was thought to be dead in the water. He rather notoriously was able to hire legendary director Michael Cimino, the man behind the smash hit
Heaven's Gate. Trump's rather ignorant attitude towards movies meant that he was considered to be putting out schlock, with only a rare few exceptions. Still, he appreciated the fine art of cinema from time to time, and his name was mentioned many many times in acceptance speeches. Still, it became known in High Society that he was a fan of women and just loved pursuing them, in spite of their own objections. In 2015, the truth he had spent so much of his wealth on hiding came out. Dozens of women, actresses or otherwise, came out to accuse Trump of sexual harassment and assault. In due time, he would be removed from Trump Studios and his wife, twenty years his junior, divorced him. As of 2018, his trial is still being awaited, but his exposure as a sex pest opened the floodgates for a more open culture regarding sexual harassment.