Cameron Vassey
Cameron Vessey was a major politician in the early 24th century. He was the fourth President of the Federated States
Background
Cameron Trent Vessey was born in 2297 in New Arnhault township on the colony of New Berlin. His parents were both involved in mining industry. Cameron was the second born of five children. Cameron was an above average student at high school. He then went to college in New Berlin, graduating with a BA in Business Administration. During his college days he enlisted in the local militia to take part in the resistance but saw no action. After graduating college he joined a local mining firm as a forecasting officer, developing a good reputation as a solid mining exec. After five years as a mining officer, he joined Esprit du Nacional as Mining Exec, developing a reputation for fairness, poise and his ability to network. He became active in the AIS and was invited to the 2330 convention. He made a good impression and was pushed towards a run for Governor.Political Career
After the 2330 convention, Cameron returned to New Berlin to begin fund-raising and developing a political profile. He was elected to the Colonial Legislature, standing as an AIS rep. He raised huge amounts of money thanks to his skills as a networker and his ties to local mining interests. In 2334 he announced he would seek the influential governorship of New Berlin. The exiting Governor was moderate independent Ellis Marriot who endorsed Cameron's candidacy. Cameron Vessey, only 37 years old at the time, was criticized for being too inexperienced but he won a landslide election 55%-38% to win the governorship.Governor of New Berlin
Now the Governor of a popular and influential colony world of New Berlin, Cameron Vessey worked with all parties in the colonial legislature to develop a broad program of work. Governor Vessey reduced taxes, increased the funding for local business and scaled back regulation on mining. He ran into some trouble when his administration was accused of being in the pocket of EDN. Governor Vessey distanced himself from EDN and directed his attorney general to investigate EDN's business practises on New Berlin, which didn't find anything concrete but made the distance between the Governor and the corporation tangible. In 2339 Governor Vessey was heavily favored for re-election. He announced he would seek a 2nd term. He raised a huge amount of money and despite a strong challenge from Progressive Union candidate Roper McBride, he won a 2nd term. As a second-term Governor, Vessey improved social programs in New Berlin, getting corporate partnerships and making sure the program was more or less revenue neutral. He had issues with a broad miners strike in 2342. He was forced to agree to improving miners rights and improving safety standards. He was widely praised for his ability to reach across the aisle and he was praised for his work with all parties. In 2343 he began to explore a run for the AIS nominee for President. He raised A$30M in two years, emerging as a popular, moderate choice for the AIS party. Governor Vessey met with key leaders within the AIS ranks, securing an arrangement with Senator Bors Moatt which all but secured Governor Vessey's nomination in 2345.AIS Nominee
At the 2345 AIS Convention, Governor Vessey was confirmed as the nominee for the AIS Party. He gave a good speech at the convention, impressing the delegates and the wider audience with his poise and his charisma, setting out a program of freezing or rolling back the Federalist's overreach. Governor Vessey also promised to give "no ground" to the increasingly hostile Karkouri Regime. Governor Vessey chose retired Marine colonel Ebbert Keever as his running mate. The election saw the AIS make a deal with the TPE, their normal allies. They also managed to secure a surprise endorsement from far-left Universal Party. Governor Vessey chose Marley Howard, an advertising exec and a highly rated campaign manager to run his campaign. The AIS won a landslide victory with 51% of the vote in the first ballot, meaning that there would be no need for a second ballot. Governor Vessey was named President-elect. He benefited from a peerless Transition effort that had been set up by the exiting McQaid administration. President of the Federated States In June of 2345 Governor Vessey was sworn in as the President of the Federated States, the first member of the AIS to win the Presidency. His cabinet was formed from:- Deputy Jamie Hollander (AIS) as Secretary of State
- Deputy Ramius Hytnner (AIS) as Secretary of Defence
- Deputy Jaden Swofford (TPE) as Attorney General
- Deputy Mads Farrel (TPE) as Treasury Secretary
- Deputy Wick Sanderson (Universal) as Colonial Secretary
- Marley Howard (AIS) as Chief of Staff
Second Term
President Vessey's second inaguration speech promised wider bi-partisan working and a "Social Contract" which would guarantee a certain quality of life on all worlds of the Federated States. A wide-scale private financing campaign had already been agreed in principal with the big five. President Vessey's cabinet was form from:- CEO Deffert Lawyer (AIS) as Secretary of State
- Senator Mathis Hindley (AIS) as Treasury Secretary
- Senator Marius Axxelson (TPE) as Attorney General
- Senator Walt Vasser (AIS) as Secretary of Defence
- Secretary of Defence Ramius Hytnner (AIS) was appointed Director of FSI
- Robin van Gald (AIS) was appointed Chief of Staff
Post Presidency
After finishing his second term, President Vessey endorsed Vice President Keever and raised money for him though he kept a low profile. President Vessey did some guest lectures at Harvard and Yale and also wrote his memoirs, for which he got paid an advance of A$12M. President Vessey also joined the board of Directors at Esprit du Nacional as a non-executive director. President Vessey's administration came in for increasing criticism after it had ended and the work of the Brightwell committee further discredited his presidency. In 2356 he moved to an exclusive penthouse in New York. In 2357 his accountant and his lawyer released files that largely proved that he knew nothing of the corrpution inside the Department of Defence. In 2359 President Vessey announcer that whilst he would support the AIS nominee in 2360, he would not play an active role in the campaign. In 2365 President Vessey offered a lukewarm endorsement of President Stargher. He was hugely critical of the decision of the AIS to merge with Earth-Guard to form the Foundation Party. In 2370 President Vessey surprised the political establishment by offering an endorsement to Secretary Reese Gordwood. President Vessey was supportive of the Axxelson administration but remained fairly low key in politics. In 2380 he was very critical of the coup. President Vessey died of natural causes in 2390.
Species
Life
2297
2390
93 years old
Circumstances of Death
Natural Causes
Birthplace
New Berlin
Children
Aligned Organization
Comments