Johan Vorhees

Johan Vorhees was an Eduran statesman and merchant. He is known as one of the the longest serving Lord-Magistrates, having an unusually long tenure of 16 years. He is also considered the most successful conservative politician in that country, as many academics are of the opinion that Vorhees both extended the life of, and also neutered, the conservative movement in Edury. A controversial figure to say the least, some say that his actions set back workers rights in Edury and killed the egalitarian movement started by the revolution, while his proponents say he lay the groundwork for the conservationist movement that would follow.

An archconservative, Vorhees was preoccupied by people's station in society. His enemies accused him of trying to resurrect the old feudal caste system, and there were no shortage of enemies. By the end of his tenure, he had made enemies in the leaders of the liberal movement, the workers movement, the moderate and ultraconservatives, and the blahfala.

Vorhees grew up as the son of a guild leatherworker in central Edury. As a teenager, he lived through the tumult of the Revolution and the war which followed it. This, combined with his first career as a merchant, is believed to have lead to his conservative outlook.

Election as Lord-Magistrate
He is elected for the first time in 1845, then 1850, then again in 1855, then again in 1860. He is forced to resign the next year. summary notes:
 * wanted to bring back public symbols of peoples status (Maybe sumptuary laws?)
 * All around not fun guy
 * Did not like the industrial revolution, but his policies strengthened it
 * Attacked the growing workers movements
 * Precipitated the sometimes in the mid 1800s revolution

Establishmentarianism
Vorhees had an idealization of the pre-revolutionary state of affairs. Despite being raised in a craftsman household, the Vorhees family struggled during the years of the revolution, and his mother was even arrested for anti-revolutionary activities. As such, much of Vorhees's personal politics desired to clearly define peoples' roles in society. Allegedly, Vorhees was interested in bringing back some sumptuary laws from before the revolution.

Vorhees was interested in keeping political involvement in the hands of those who held it. At the time, voting laws in Edury were discriminatory to those who could not afford to travel, or those who could not read or write. Moreover, the Electoral College- the body which apportioned votes to the Assembly, the Senate, and the Daar- disfavored urban areas, of which were undergoing a massive population growth spurt. Additionally, the burgeoning workers movement, as well as academic and social groups, were interested in enacting an electoral system in which parties were more clearly defined, and elected according to their part of the electoral mandate. Vorhees was opposed to this later change, and desired to strengthen the electoral college. Due to the careers of the empowered politicians depending on nothing changing, and many of these policians representing people with a vested interest against change, Vorhees was elected twice.

Anti-workers policy
As industrialization marched on, many workers started to organize themselves. Chiefly, they were concerned by the fact that they were overworked, underpaid, and then socialism was invented. Many groups tried to form guild-like organizations of laborers, trying to fashion for themselves a position in society akin to the old craftsmen caste. As many of the old craftsmen were now entrenched bourgeoisie, they-along with Vorhees- opposed this. After this, laborers unions started to form.

Vorhees legislated against workers unions, however, his anti-labor policies made this a national issue- previously, few middle-class people gave much thought to the workers plight. As Vorhees railed against unionization, he was successful in passing policy restricting workers rights, but in his diatribe brought workers rights to the forfront of policy discussion over the entire country, and soon vakbondsvorming (unionization) was a topic of common peoples suppertime discussions.

ecological conservationism
Some question the motives behind Vorhees's push for preservation of forests and reduced mining in the western Penguinne foothills. Arguments tend to range between him desiring to preserve resources and stretch them out as long as possible for the burgeoning industrial corps of Edury, or a genuine desire to preserve the natural world. Vorhees was known to advocate for greener urban areas as cities swelled in population, but held a dislike of hiking clubs, and was not an outdoorsman himself. He idolized rural and agrarian life, but in policy gave political energy to the new steel, railway, and steamship industries.

Revolution of '61
In 1860, Vorhees was elected for a third time. This time, he and his supporters did not win a majority in the Assembly. Due to the laws of the time, to override a Magisterial veto required a 2/3rd vote, so this left parliament deadlocked. His third election brought outrage to many sections of society, as the liberals disliked his limitations put on industry and his taxing of manufactured goods, the workers absolutely detested him, and the moderates begrudgingly supported him due to them being unable to field a better candidate.

The discontent of this second group was at a boiling point, and the next year would see a strike in Atelboorden, an industrial city in the west. Iron ore miners put down their picks at 12:00, on the first of February, and stood outside the entrance to the mine. After police fired upon the workers, a riot broke out; three days later, Vorhees called the military into the town.

This was the final straw for the workers movement, and many nascent and sometimes illegal unions started strikes of their own. Soon, several groups put out calls for a general strike; these calls were answered. By April, the industrial corps of Edury had come to a standstill; Vorhees's diatribe calling to force the laborers back to work could not pass through the Assembly. Vorhees vetoed bills passed by an unusual coalition of the workers and the liberals. By April 22, an important day in the Eduran political calendar, the General Laborers Brotherhood of 'S-Rivibocht armed themselves and stormed the town hall, calling for the resignation of Vorhees. The next day, Vorhees ordered the 2nd Infantry Regiment to retake the town; at this point, the Daar, Andrew Fortinsacht, threatened to countermand the order but ultimately did nothing. Upon arriving in the city, the soldiers ignored orders to fire upon the striking and rebellious workers. Reinforcements refused the order to march to the officers aide.

By May, other labor unions in the country were taking similar action. By May 4th, 'S-Rivibocht, Atelboorden, and Goatingburgen had their town halls stormed by workers brigades. On May 5th, the 44th Infantry Regiment finally fired upon the workers under siege in that third town. By the 10th, after news had spread throughout the country, every laborer in the nation had thrown down their tools and picked up a gun. Eventually, the Popular Guard Regiment had to repel an attempted storming of the Palace of the Assembly, and only barely was able to. The representatives were put under siege in their offices- a bullet flew through Vorhees's window.

That same day, in the town hall of Godenhaven, the revolutionary workers published the 11th of May declaration- saying that unless the government acquiesced to their demands, the workers would overthrow them. Unlike their predecessors in the ancien regime, this government acquiesced- the Assembly voted to demand Vorhees's resignation, with some calling for a vote to depose him. Vorhees resigned at 9:15 PM.

The following snap elections passed a mixed-member proportional electoral system, abolished the electoral college, and repealed some but not all of his conservationist policy. It is believed by many historians that Vorhees's grating personality, as well as the legislation he championed- which was initially successful- gaining too many enemies in the public sphere, and pushing the average person to the same revolution he tried to avoid, nearly gaining the same fate as the overthrown parties.

Vorhees would spend the remainder of his life in his small, country estate, with a private security force preventing attempts on his life. He died the same way he was born: small, and with no political influence.