Werner Sudermann
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Werner Sudermann | |
|---|---|
 Sudermann photographed in 1892 | |
| 1st President of Vonzumier | |
| In office 9 November 1868 – 13 September 1890 | |
| Chancellor | Dietrich von Werden (1872–1890) |
| Preceded by | Position created |
| Succeeded by | Dietrich von Werden |
| Commander-in-Chief of the Vonzumier National Army | |
| In office 18 November 1867 – 25 October 1872 | |
| Preceded by | Position created |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Werner Andreas Oliver Sudermann 11 May 1825 Lisshel, Vierz Vonzumier |
| Died | 1 December 1896 (aged 71) Tippelow, Vonzumier |
| Political party | Independent |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Vierz Empire Vonzumier |
| Branch/service | Imperial Vierz Army (1845–1867) Vonzumier National Army (1867–1872) |
| Years of service | 1845–1872 |
| Rank | Generaloberst |
| Commands | Eastern Vonzumier Colonial Regiment Vonzumier National Army |
| Battles/wars | Vonzumierian War of Independence |
Werner Andreas Oliver Sudermann (11 May 1825 – 1 December 1896) was a Vonzumierian statesman and military officer who served as the first President of Vonzumier from 1868 to 1890. Sudermann also served as the commander-in-chief of the Vonzumier National Army, which battled Vierz forces during the Vonzumierian War of Independence to secure the country's sovereignty.
Born in 1825 in Lisshel in Vierz colonial Vonzumier, Sudermann's family came from upper-middle class merchant origins. He joined the Imperial Vierz Army in 1845 and underwent officer training, later rising to become leader of the Eastern Vonzumier Colonial Regiment. A classical liberal, Sudermann sympathized with growing anti-imperial sentiment in the colony. In 1867, he was ordered by Vierz emperor Victor I to suppress anti-imperial unrest; he refused, instead resigning his military post. He evaded arrest and was appointed commander-in-chief of the Vonzumier National Army after the colony's unilateral declaration of independence in November 1867. He was elected president of Vonzumier in 1868, and presided over the military and political affairs of Vonzumier's war of independence until their victory in 1871.
As president, Sudermann pursued policies of small government; he ended slavery, introduced a semi-presidential system, reduced the size of the bureaucracy and military, and maintained neutrality in foreign affairs. His term was largely marked by steady but slow economic growth and positive relations with Western Patyrian states, while relations with Vierzland remained cold. He often clashed with his chancellor, Dietrich von Werden, a political icon of the revolution who desired a more conservative policy path. Sudermann finished his fourth five-year term in 1890 amid ailing health and declining popularity and was succeeded by Von Werden. He retired to Tippelow, where he wrote memoirs about his military campaigns until his death in 1896. Sudermann was posthumously awarded the title of "Father of the Nation" in 1900. He remains the longest-serving Vonzumierian president and is universally considered by historians, foreign dignitaries, and the public to be the greatest leader in the country's history.