Harmony Meagher
Harmony Anne Meagher was a Terran politician in the mid 26th century. She was the eighth President of the The Terran Republic .
Early Life
Born in 2500 on Fort Pitcairn to a middle class family, Harmony was educated in the liberal, democratic tradition typical of Fort Pitcairn. She was a strong student at high school, graduating with very high grades. She then attended Hanover College, graduating with a BA in Journalism. She then studied her Juris Doctorate as a lawyer. Harmony Meagher met Herald Myers during her career as a lawyer and the two married and have had two daughters. Harmony Meagher is known for her love of pet cats.Legal Career
Harmony Meagher became a family lawyer, working for private client firm "Williams, Wheldon & Pope". She spent six years as an associate with the firm before moving to Mars based civil rights law firm "Humber & Keane". Harmony became famous for battling with the Martian legal system but also worked across the border in the Republic too.Journalist
After more than fifteen years in the legal profession, Harmony became a journalist, writing and presenting for left-leaning media outlet "Lighthouse". She became famous for her bullish approach, her dislike of the Hansa and the conservative establishment.Politics
Harmony joined the Social Democratic Party during her legal career but kept a low political profile for much of the time. Whilst on Mars, she wrote speeches for the Martian Democratic Union. In 2537, she was courted for a run at the Governorship of her home-world. Initially she had rejected the approach feeling that she was doing more good as a journalist. However, she relented and agreed to run for office in 2540. Harmony Meagher was elected in a landslide win for Governor of Fort Pitcairn in 2540.Governor
Harmony Meagher took over a progressive government, where the legislature on Fort Pitcairn was made up largely of members of the SDP, the local Federalist Party and Gurava. The most conservative members of the legislature were generally members of the Centrist Party or Vishnu Elpis. Harmony appointed veteran labor activist Shelton McBride as her Chief of Staff during his first term. Lane Gilory, a lawyer and friend of the Governor, was later appointed as legal counsel. He would go on to become her most trusted political adviser, fixer and later Chief of Staff. Harmony Meagher oversaw expansions of the planet's infrastructure, social welfare and civil rights for citizens on the planet. She ensured free education up to the end of high school for all citizens, introduced a hardship grant for college students and introduced a program of legal aid. She was a popular figure on Fort Pitcairn, enjoying a job approval of around 75-80% during her time in office. She clashed repeatedly with the Hansa, introducing corporations taxes, green taxes and capital gains taxes and she was called "anti-growth" and "bad for business". She introduced tax breaks for small, local businesses. Harmony was comfortably re-elected in 2550, after some speculation that she could potentially seek the SDP nomination. She gave her somewhat lukewarm endorsement to Robinson Goetze in 2550. Harmony had emerged as a major figure within the "Progressive Wing" of the SDP. During her second term, she introduced laws to protect freedom of expression, the right to protest and religous freedoms, including the right "not to worship". She clashed with members of the Valtinist right when she introduced laws to stop any sort of discrimination against AIs. Heading into the 2560 General Election, Governor Meagher began to draw together allies for a potential run at the SDP nomination. She set up an exploratory committee and began building up a staff. At the convention, she was defeated by former Foreign Secretary Herrick Knottman who was nominated for President. He then offered her to be Vice President on the ticket with him and she accepted.2560 Election
Governor Meagher was a key figure during the SDP campaign in 2560, pushing the party's liberal credentials, as well as its long standing connection to the Unions. She clashed with the other campaigns but concentrated much of her fire on Valiant and Ravenheart, avoiding clashes with VE and the Isolationist Party. The SDP ticket achieved 15% of the General Assembly vote and after more than two months of coalition talks, they were elected to the Presidency, with Harmony Meagher taking over as Vice President.Vice President of the Republic
Harmony Meagher was sworn in as Vice President of the Republic and was often seen as the President's connection back to the Progressive movement and peacemaker with Gurava. She named Lane Gilroy as her Chief of Staff and kept much of her senior staff from her run as Governor on Fort Pitcairn. She concentrated much of her work on foreign affairs, making trips to the CCN Nations and to the Tranoan Empire. She also helped to negotiate arms packages to the Rorn Republic and Ekuneri Commonwealth. She was vocal in the need to cut military spending and was an ally to Reiner Grumman as Foreign Secretary. During the Glasshouse affair, she kept a fairly low profile though she gave an explosive speech on Dhaka attacking the conservatives for trying to bring down the President. When President Herrick Knottman resigned his office, she was sworn in as the new President of the Republic.President of the Republic
President Meagher took over as President in January of 2565. She kept Lane Gilroy as her Chief of Staff and appointed Egan Monk as her Communications Director. She also named Anya Woods as Press Secretary. She named former Indirian Navy Officer Fosavan as Senior Counsel, focusing on military issues. She kept Bridie Wallender on from Knottman's senior staff, granting her the role of Consultant and Special Counsel.Senior Staff
- Chief of Staff - Lane Gilroy
- Communications Director - Egan Monk
- Special Counsel - Bridie Wallender
- Press Secretary - Anya Woods
- Senior Counsel - Fosavan
Cabinet Reshuffle
- Vice President - Campbell Corrigan -SDP
- Attorney General -Katherine Fererreo - Gurava
- Treasury Secretary -Catherine Sondeheim -Vishnu Elpis
- Foreign Secretary - Reiner Grumman -Gurava
- Defence Secretary -Beckett Solarin -Independent
- Interior Secretary -Stevland Hessinger -Librarius
- Trade Secretary - Jemma Seivert -Gurava
- Intelligence Secretary - Ophelia Valane - Vishnu Elpis
- Chief of Staff to the President -Lane Gilroy - SDP
Operation Telegram
The President, acting on intelligence leads, launched Operation Telegram, which was intended to gear the Republic up for a potential Zzenddi invasion. Operation Telegram set up a continuity government, emergency refugee centres across the Republic, military preparation and other steps. The plan was met with mild support from the other side of the aisle, with the right calling the measures "a good start." There were also talks to set up a potential Unity government with members of Valiant & the Isolationist Party but no deal materialized.Dhaka Attack 2565
The President was present in the capitol when Jericho launched a massive attack to kill or capture the Republic's leadership. President Meagher, as per RepInt plan code named "Bamboo" was whisked away and brought to a waiting starship whilst Vice President Campbell Corrigan was moved to the emergency continuity of government base on the edge of Dhaka City. The President helped to organize the relief effort on Earth and toured the city extensively after the fighting had ended. She praised the quick thinking of the cabinet for their reactions during this "heinous attack".Zzenddi Invasion
A 2nd Zzenddi War broke out in 2567 as a huge Zzenddi fleet emerged in the Southern reaches of the quadrant. The Zzenddi fleet assaulted Gannid space and whilst the President wanted to help them, she was warned by her Secretary of State and her military leadership that the Terran fleet would not be able to make a significant difference. She reluctantly endorsed "Operation Fabian" which was the Republic's operational plans to deal with a potential Zzenddi invasion. There was a massive conference on New Berlin as representatives of nearly every major power in the quadrant attended. President Meagher attended and spoke at length to the various allies and got a commitment, working closely with Foreign Secretary Reiner Grumman, to secure aid and a commitment of expeditionary fleets from many of the attending powers. The General Assembly voted to pass a wartime budget and grant the administration sweeping emergency powers. In a rare show of unity, both votes were passed unanimously. The President called for a Unity government and invited members of Valiant, the Isolationists and Ravenheart to join the cabinet. She also set up a wartime cabinet. President Meagher worked tirelessly throughout the build up for the war, visiting many front-line worlds and meeting soldiers and sailors as well as touring shipyards. She was often seen dressed in simple combat fatigues rather than her normal suit and toned down her jewelry. She enjoyed record high approval ratings in the Republic. One poll conducted in 2568 showed her with 90% job approval within the Republic The President called for "democracy to continue. We must continue to practise what we fight for, beyond our survival as a species". This was also praised by the press and most of the political class. The President backed the call for "calm" after the Gaia coup by the Khepri cult.Re-Election 2570
The President confirmed in January of 2569 that she would not seek another term as President of the Republic and that "all elections would proceed as normal". She stated that she hoped the next President would commit to a Unity government in the face of the existential crisis of the Zzenddi. She also backed a call for "a campaign conducted only on the issues". She agreed to the Dhaka Agreement, to cede power to a Unity choice of General Aston Groff . She used her emergency powers to suspend all Federal elections in 2570 and ceded power to President Groff.Post Presidency
After leaving office, Harmony retired to her home in Athens where she wrote her biography. She kept a low profile and gave her support to President Aston Groff and then Henderson Loke . She passed away in 2575, apparently after a short illness. She was eulogized by President Henderson Loke and her funeral was widely attended.
Year of Birth
2495
95 Years old
Children
Aligned Organization
Other Affiliations
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