Douglas Granite
President Douglas R. Granite President of the Federation of Atlesia | |
|---|---|
 President Granite | |
 President of the Federation of Atlesia | |
| In office January 20, 1935 – Present | |
| Montgomery State Senate | |
| In office November 8th, 1925 – November 8th, 1930 | |
| Preceded by | John Twink |
| Succeeded by | Francis L. Brown |
| Federal House of Representatives | |
| In office November 8th, 1930 – November 8th, 1934 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Douglas Raymond Granite May 23rd, 1901 Blackwater, Montgomery, Federation |
| Political party |  National Conservative Party |
| Spouse | Mary Anne (1927-Present) |
| Children | Damien |
| Residence(s) | 1600 Morgan Ave NW, Atlas, 20500 |
| Alma mater | None |
Douglas R. Granite is the 30th President of the Federation of Atlesia. An outspoken Constitutionalist, Granite played a pivotal role in developing the coalition that would eventually grow into Atlesia's National Conservative Party, which ultimately won him the Presidential nomination in 1934. A Marine veteran of the Great War, Granite served in fierce frontline combat, including the famous Battle of the Toulimar Forest, where the 5th Marine Brigade earned its reputation as a fierce, unyielding fighting force.
After the war, Granite spent a number of years as a carpenter's apprentice, but ultimately decided to run for state government as a member of the Constitutionalist Party in Montgomery. Serving just one term, Granite broadened his horizons in 1929 when he ran for the Federal House of Representatives, and won. As a rookie in national government, Granite quickly gained close allies in both the House and Senate, and during his time as Representative, led a movement to rally right-leaning politicial parties in government and develop a standardized platform. This would eventually lead to the formation of the National Conservative Party in 1933, of which Granite is credited as a 'founding father'.
At the helm of the Federation's national conservative movement, which advocated Atlesian Exceptionism and staunchly opposed authoritarianism, lefism, and other similar movements, Granite won his party's nomination for president unanimously. Winning more than 60% of the vote, he was inaugurated on January 20th, 1935. In his short time in office, Granite and his National Conservatives have been hard at work, passing legislation designed to do everything from military expansion and rearmament, tax reform, and civil reform. The National Securities Act of 1935, signed into law on May 12th, works to utterly overhaul the Federation's decaying armed forces, while the Conscionable Taxes Act effectively banned the federal government from levying taxes on inheretinces, scrapped the property tax, and other similar taxes that were deemed 'unconscionable' in nature.
As of 1936, President Granite continues to speak about an Atlesian Century, working to unleash the energy of the nation and her people, and to build a better future.
Early Life
Douglas R. Granite was born in Blackwater, Montgomery, on May 23rd, 1901. His mother, Dorothy Granite, had passed away during childbirth, leaving his father Raymond Granite - a respected lawyer - to raise Douglas alone. Such a task is certainly quite difficult, and Granite's father often struggled to juggle his legal practice with his son. Due to this, Granite spent most of his early years with his Aunt Ruth, the sister to his late mother, who Granite describes in personal memoirs as a 'caring and compassionate woman'. She had lost her husband to tuberculosis in 1899, and suffered from a misscariage the year before, so for her, taking in her nephew helped her fill a great void. Around the age of 8, Granite's father developed a romantic relationship with his Aunt Ruth, and when he was 11, they married. According to Granite, he wasn't opposed to their union, and wrote in personal memoirs that he was 'happy' that both his aunt and father were happy again.
In 1912, when Granite was just eleven years old, the Great War erupted in Cybelleum. The great powers of the Old World - Reynland, Auvernia, Altenland, and more, came to brutal confrontation. Granite recalled that he was too young to pay much attention to the events overseas, but remembers his father reading about the transpiring events in the newspaper. Nevertheless, for millions of Atlesians at the time, the War in Cybelleum was just too far away to be of any real concern. Granite continued his studies at the Blackwater Primary Academy, a private school paid for by his father, for the rest of his childhood education. Teachers described Granite as an 'intelligent" student, though was often 'distracted' by his personal ambitions. Those ambitions included his love for baseball, which he started playing at the age of 13, and continued until his graduation from primary school.
Military Service
By mid-1917, the Great War had been raging for five years, and had spread across the planet. With the Federation's western neighbor Duquesne, and its southern neighbor Vespera, already at war on the side of Auvernia, the global conflict had encroached on the Atlesian people, and many were fearful that it was only a matter of time before they too were dragged in. The sitting President, Theodore Maddock, had promised 'complete neutrality' during his 1914 race, but his efforts to avoid conflict would ultimately be in vain. On October 23rd, 1917, the FS Annesburgwas sank by an Altish submarine 350 miles from its destination: a port in neutral Frejian. Five days later, it was revealed that the crew of this submarine emerged after the ship - a civilian cruise liner - had sunk, and fired on lifeboats and survivors floating in the water. Over 1,700 people - most of which were Atlesian citizens - were killed. On October 29th, the Federation declared war on Altenland. Days later, Alytaj declared war on the Federation, along with other allies of the Altish. Seemingly out of nowhere, the Federation was at war.
At 17 years old, Granite had graduated from his primary school in May of that same year, and had just started his first year at the prestigious Briarford University in Abington, Montgomery. Upon hearing that the Federation was going to war, he dropped out, and went to enlist in the Marines. His father, due to his respected social status, was able to convince recruiter's to waive the college degree typically expected of officers, and in December of 1917, Granite shipped out to Officer Candidate School in New Reynland. Granite excelled in OCS, even earning Honor Graduate, and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Marine Corps in March of 1918. It was that month that the first batch of Marines arrived in Auvernia, but Granite wouldn't arrive until two months later, after Infantry Officers' Course. Now a platoon commander, Granite was assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Brigade, and sent to the Western Front to support Auvernia against Altenland. In personal memoirs, Granite describes the feeling of leaving Atlesia as "uneasy", saying that "I'd never been so nervous, and the funny thing about it was, that was only the beginning. There I was, barely 18 years old, in charge of a platoon of young Marines-- most of which had been in the Corps longer than myself. Looking back, that's not a position I should've been in, and frankly I'm glad that the Marine Corps has fixed its broken officer system." The 5th and 6th Marines had been charged with reinforcing Auvernian lines in Clemenceau province, where most of the war's major battles on the Western Front had occurred up to that point. Arriving in late March, Granite and his platoon were quickly introduced to the brutality of static trench warfare.
In his personal journal, which he kept during his time on the Western Front, Granite described the first few months he and he Marines served in the trenches. "We've gotten into a routine now, which I find odd, considering that all we heard during training is that war is absolute chaos. We've been here for about two months now, with our battalion rotating into the frontline in two-week intervals. During these two weeks, we are constantly under artillery fire, and often are attacked with chlorine and mustard gas. From what I've noticed, the enemy prefers to attack once or twice a day-- starting with a massive artillery barrage, before storming out into No-Man's-Land in an attempt to take our trenches by forces. They have yet to be successful. We've made a few attempts of our own, and a few days ago, managed to seize their frontline, but were inevitably pushed back. I find it appalling that commanders are willing to sacrifice so many young men for just a few meters of ground. It's deplorable. We are constantly tormented by both the enemy and our environment. Fleas and rats infest our trenches, and the springtime has brought torrential amounts of rain-- so much so that it isn't uncommon for the water level in the trenches to reach the knees. I am in a constant struggle to remain sane here, and I am truly amazed that our Auvernian allies have endured this for so long. It's enough for any man to lose himself. The only thing that keeps me going is the fact that these Marines look to me to lead them, and I regret that I cannot ensure that all of them make it home." - June 3rd, 1918
The first half of 1918 was a relatively-uneventful year in Clemenceau province, and the warfare in which Granite was subjected to remained relatively the same, with no major developments. It wasn't until the beginning of July, 1918, that things on the Western Front began to intensify yet again. In a bold offensive, Altish forces punched a massive hole through Auvernian lines, and ultimately forced Granite's battalion to retreat. On the 17th, Colonel Albert Moore, commander of the 5th Marine Brigade, ordered his forces - in conjunction with two Auvernian army divisions - to halt the Altish advance at the Toulimar Forest. Thus, began the Battle of the Toulimar Forest. The 17-day battle was ruthless, and 2nd Lieutenant Granite's Marines were on the frontlines for the entire duration of the fight. In the battle that would give Atlesian Marines the reputation they hold today, Granite's platoon was a key part in securing the vital Hill 55 on July 26th, and ultimately holding the key piece of terrain against a savage Altish counter-attack the following day. By August 3rd, the 5th Marines had driven Altish forces from the Toulimar Forest and in doing so, fatefully disrupted Altenland's summer offensive. In his journal, Granite wrote the following about the battle:
"Never before have I seen such bravery from such humble men. I myself witnessed an 18-year-old jump into an Altish trench and thrust his bayonet into the gut of an enemy. He then put his foot against the man's chest, and pushed away-- pulling the bayonet from his body, and turned to stab another. I witnessed young men like myself charge across an open field under accurate machine gun and mortar fire, and be victorious. I have never believed so strongly that there is no weapon more powerful than the will and moral courage of a free man."