Taylor Rishi
Taylor Rishi was a major politician in the 24th century. He was the 5th President of the Federated States.
Justice Haley Haart
Justice Devis Adair
President Rishi was able to close tax loopholes and his treasury secretary, Boyd Darrow, cut a major deal in terms of tax and interest relief with the big five.
President Rishi was able to confirm the that the budget deficit had now been addressed and economists projected an end to the recession in 2360.
President Rishi was dogged by rumours, often unsubstantiated as his first term wound down. Chief of Staff Serrick stood down in 2359 and was named as campaign chairman. Matej Rishi, the President's cousin, was named as the new Chief of Staff.
In 2359 the President announced his intention to seek a second term as the Federalist nominee.
Background
Taylor Anharu Rishi was born in 2298 in Athens on Earth . He was the oldest son of Matheu Rishi, an investment and securities lawyer and Patricia O'Riordan-Rishi who was a major socialite. The Rishi family had remained supporters of the Federalist Political cause though in the Confederate Union it was a strictly regional Party. Taylor Rishi is the descendant of two former Presidents: Anuj Rishi Muray Rishi (2200-2210) Taylor Rishi went to an exclusive prep school and was a top student and an excellent athlete. He represented his school in rugby, fencing and cross-country and briefly considered an Olympic career. He then attended Harvard where he studied Political science and a minor in history. He took part in Crew and was active in Harvard Crimson. The Karkouri Regime invaded the Confederate Union in 2318 while Taylor was still at college. Taylor dropped out of college to join the resistance.Resistance Operative
Taylor Rishi joined up with a resistance cell based on Earth and then moved off-world to Avalon where he took part in recruiting and arming. He was trained by Fleet operatives in close combat, firearms as well as trade-craft and he was deployed initially as an intelligence officer. He later joined an active combat unit and was part of the heavy fighting on Avalon. He was wounded during the battle of Tintagel in 2319 and was lifted off-world to Furnace where he recovered. In 2320 he was deployed to Gaia where he was part of the hit and run raids on Karkouri lines. When the war ended in 2321 he considered joining OMDA but rejected it to start a political career. He ran for a seat in the Senate and was elected in 2330 as a Federalist. He was lauded by many journalists as a future President.Senator
Elected in 2330 aged 32, he became a powerful but somewhat fractious member of the small Federalist caucus. He was a close ally to Senator Alden Haer but often found himself at odds with centrists like Senator Omri Barrit. He clashed with his own Party more than once and was critical of President Kinnick's decision to unleash the Fleet on OMDA in the so-called Corporate War. In 2335 there was even talk of him defecting to join the Progressive Union but he dismissed this. He settled into a role as a back bencher and was never able to become a committee chairman even while his Party had the leadership of the Senate. Whilst Senator Rishi was in the Senate he completed his BA part time and "graduated" with a BA in political science in 2336. In 2340 he was supportive of Vice President Braer McQaid and endorsed him at the Federalist Convention. When Vice President McQaid was elected President, he named Taylor Rishi as the new Secretary of Defence.Secretary of Defence
Secretary Rishi took over the Department of Defence during an increase in the budget. He was a major proponent of fleet building but was also a supporter of the Marine Corps. He oversaw the transition from the M1931 Assault Rifle to the M2 Sabre as the Marine corps primary battle-weapon. In 2343 the so called "Agile Spending Program" was put forward by TPE Senators and it was voted into law. This meant that military tenders would be put out for a fixed price and the corporations would be responsible for any shortfall in spending. This capped procurement budgets and meant that money went further. However this was unpopular in the military as it meant a loss of potential budget. Secretary Rishi resisted the program and represented his military constituency. In 2344 he resigned as Secretary of Defence in protest of the program. Secretary Rishi took up a role as a consultant for the Federalist Party and was involved as a fund-raiser in the 2345 campaign. He was a major surrogate for Roderick Strickland, the Federalist nominee in 2345 but the ticket was defeated. Taylor Rishi pivoted to a new role as a consultant to Federalists on military issues. He also took up a role as guest lecturer at Harvard, Princeton and Alexander University in Athens. In 2349 he was spoken of as a contender for the Federalist nomination. He refused to confirm or deny and began to raise money and prepare a campaign staff. After a meeting in New York with Maya Abbot, however, he announced he had endorsed her for the Federalist nomination that essentially closed down the Federalist nomination.The 2350 Campaign
At the 2350 Federalist Convention Taylor Rishi was named as Maya Abbot's running mate. The two were known to be rising stars in the Federalist Party and whilst they disagreed on some fiscal issues, they largely agreed on the big picture. Taylor was a very active member of the 2350 campaign and was heavily involved in the campagin on the frontier. He was actually more popular than Abbot on some frontier worlds. Taylor took part in the VP debate against Ebbert Keever and most pundits felt he had bested Keever. However the audience was low and most polls showed little change. The 2350 Presidential election saw the AIS narrowly win thanks to a huge influx of money. Rumors swirled that Maya Abbot blamed Taylor Rishi, in part, for the tickets defeat. Most pundits felt that Taylor had been an asset to the campaign. After the campaign ended Taylor went back to guest lectures with Harvard and Alexander. He was often seen at major Federalist fund-raisers. In 2354, Harper Abbot, the Federalist Party chairman, confirmed that Taylor Rishi and her cousin, Maya Abbot, hadn't spoken for 2 years.Federalist Nominee
In 2354 Taylor Rishi made an early announcement that he would seek the Federalist nomination. A vibrant primary was contested though the colonial primary contests only sent 30% of the delegates. Most of the delegate count came from the core-worlds and Earth. Taylor Rishi was very popular with the Party rank and file and the elites. He promised a liberal platform and to go after the corporations to make them pay their fair-share. He faced opposition from Maya Abbot, Governor Sholl Bruin and Governor Arie McQaid. Ahead of the convention the delegate count was locked between Taylor Rishi and Sholl Bruin. However a deal was cut by Davenport Lee, the former Federalist Party chair, that put Arie McQaid on the ticket. And with that Taylor Rishi secured the Federalist nomination. The 2355 election was a tough one but with the AIS crippled the spending was less extreme. A deal was cut after the first ballot that saw the AIS offer a shock endorsement to the Federalists. Taylor Rishi romped hom in the second ballot and was elected as President.President of the Federated States
In June of 2355 Taylor Rishi was sworn in as President of the Federated States. His cabinet was formed from:- Olan Maquessa (AIS) as Secretary of State
- Dr Reese Gordwood (IND) as Secretary of Defence
- Reiko Tellar (PU) as Attorney General
- Boyd Darrow (FED) as Treasury Secretary
- Admiral (ret) Rebekkah Valane (IND) as Director of FSI
- Anders Serrick (FED) as Chief of Staff
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