Jonathan Richards

Senior Defensive Advisor Edward

Jonathan Richards was the last Secretary of Defense in the United States and is currently serving as Senior Defensive Adviser to the committee which is in control of The Covenant.

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

Excellent Health with no signs of aging (due to the serum).

Body Features

Light skin

Facial Features

Scar above left eye that leaves a slight nick in the brow.

Identifying Characteristics

Standard military service tattoos (marines)

Special abilities

Commanding presence. Likable voice. Not scared of anything.

Apparel & Accessories

Always wears a black suit with a custom made deep purple tie with silver trim. Since forming The Covenant, the suit is now decorated with his service medals (which he has a lot of). When asked about why he always wore this tie, even back when the United States was still around, he was quoted as saying "I earned the purple heart and four silver oak leafs during my service in the marines, and I feel wearing a tie of this color with my suit reminds others that see me of my service to this great nation, even when I'm not in my military uniform."

Specialized Equipment

Mr. Richards wears a very nice Rolex style watch he has had for years as well as his wedding ring on his left hand. He also openly carries two hand pistols in holsters at his hip and it is rumored (although true) that he keeps a combat knife on him (He is often known to scoff at the idea of having body guards claiming "I can do the job better myself, I dare someone to mess with me." - His guards tend to still remain, although they stay out of sight).

Mental characteristics

Gender Identity

Male

Sexuality

Straight

Education

West Point honor graduate

Employment

United States Marine Corps - former. United States Secretary of Defense - former.

Accomplishments & Achievements

Military Service Medals: Purple Heart, 4 Silver Oak Leafs, 4.0 GPA West Point Graduate with full honors Secretary of Defense (United States) Senior Defensive Adviser ( The Covenant )

Mental Trauma

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Personality Characteristics

Savvies & Ineptitudes

One of the things that set Richards apart from other marines was his ability to aim. He broke numerous world records during his career and was proficient at hitting targets while blindfolded.

Likes & Dislikes

In his personal time he is known to occasionally smoke a tobacco pipe while enjoying a glass of fine scotch (on the rocks).

Virtues & Personality perks

Kind to his friends.

Vices & Personality flaws

Extremely violent when provoked. Unknown to the public, when under the effects of The Delirium Serum he enjoys killing men in hand to hand combat. He is well aware of the effects of the serum, and is provided with prisoners, enemy soldiers, and other unsavory individuals as he does not believe in harming innocent people. During these battles there is always a committee mandatory guard present, ready to intervene (by way of assassination of Richards "victim") in the event he might lose. Richards scoffs at this idea, and has never lost a fight. He would probably kill the guard if they ever took his kill. The fights never last long anyway.

Hygiene

Extremely high maintenance with a morning grooming routine that averages forty five minutes.

Social

Family Ties

Wife: Debra
No children.

Religious Views

Richards is not religious. He grew up in a protestant family, but never took stock in any of that "nonsense". He believes there is probably something out there, but it isn't his place to know and focuses on living morally because it is the right thing to do and not because of a fear of some supernatural being.

Mannerisms

Richards is occasionally known to briefly stop talking in the middle of a sentence and just stare in the distance as a result of PTSD.

Hobbies & Pets

Light smoking and drinking. Reading. Practicing combat skills. Chess. He lives a simple life. Although not one for extravagant spending, he did invest nearly $300,000 in a large saltwater fish aquarium which he enjoys watching. The aquarium was actually built inside an entire apartment that adjoins his unit, as well as part of unit above it (which acts as access). It is filled with all manner of fish both communal and aggressive. It is one of the largest personal aquariums in the world and part of it is open to the public from inside the unit on the opposite side so as to provide Mr. Richards his privacy. He also has a pug named Winston, who remains at home in the care of his wife, while he is away on business.

Speech

Rich baritone with a steady delivery.

Wealth & Financial state

Richards rents a citizen class one bedroom condo in downtown Second York near the capitol headquarters. This unit is well below his means with a rent of $3000 a month, which he has paid up for the next twenty years. He also rents three other nearby units in the building that are also paid up. These three units are used for aquarium related purposes (explained above).
He believes he shouldn't flaunt his wealth, and lives among the common people. During his time as Secretary of Defense for the United States, this behavior appalled many of his colleagues who felt he should live in more grandiose surroundings befitting those of an adviser to the president. When he lived in Washington DC, he rented a similar condo. When asked why he merely replied "I consider myself a man of the people and it allows me to better understand the men whose lives I command.".
Richards is quite conservative with his income, only buying what he needs and never anything excessive. However, he did spend an estimated 60% of income on donations to various charities when the United States was still around.
He hires no servants, and refuses security services (although they accompany him anyhow). This is mainly due to his desire for privacy and being left to his thoughts. Having served in the marines so for long, he eventually developed a case of PTSD. He prefers to limit his interaction with others in his free time.
Richards yearly income is around three billion dollars. He has made countless investments in various industries that continue to pay off. It is said that he is always open to investing in new ideas that might advance humanity and his agents (who act as a front line for the public) are always available for presentation.
Richards has a soft spot for children and has been known to make vast donations to schools and communities for the purpose of building parks and recreational centers. During the holiday season he buys gifts for all the children in the neighborhood.
Richards grew up poor and worked his way to the top. He didn't have much but was able to turn his life around with a career in the military followed by politics. As such he was used to having to make do with what he had and didn't find joy in flashy purchases. Always scared of losing the things he had earned, he tended to pay bills and debts ahead rather aggressively. Eventually he realized he had more money than debts and began to save it. He always viewed money as something evil, and this sentiment grew during his service.
This lead to a desire to better other peoples lives with what he had and he has stayed true to this concept for years.

Current Location

Second York

Honorary & Occupational Titles

Secretary of Defense, O-6 Colonel (during marine service), Senior Defensive Advisor.

Birthplace

New York, NY

Current Residence

Second York

Gender

Male

Eyes

Blue eyes, a sleight scar above the left eye that goes into the brow.

Hair

Short, trimmed, and gray (hair is actually dyed, naturally it is still black). Hair is cut to military protocol length.

Height

6'3 feet

Weight

185 lbs

Aligned Organization

The Covenant

Known Languages

English, French, and Russian
Able to read and write Spanish, but isn't very fluent.

Character Prototype

As far as character prototypes go, I can't help but picture Jeffrey Dean Morgan in his role as Negan (season 7) playing this role due to Johnathan Richards intense nature.
Richards is very serious, although generally friendly in nature to those he respects. He takes a no bullshit attitude towards people he doesn't like. He is the kind of man that (In theory) would give a hungry man his watch so he could feed his family. However, if he discovered that man sold the watch for drugs instead, he would beat him nearly to death, not stopping even after the cops showed (In fact, if they tried to stop him, they might wind up on the receiving end too!).
He values order, discipline and observance of protocol, even in his personal life overall.