Hawk Gardner

Hawk Randolph Gardner
22nd President of Zamastan
In office September 22nd, 1918 – September 22nd, 1924
Preceded by	Freddie Sutton
Succeeded by	Elias Blanco
Personal details
Born	December 20, 1851 Titania, Titania, Zamastan
Died	October 28, 1929 (Age: 77) Aurelia, Titania, Zamastan
Nationality	Zamastanian
Political party	Green Liberal Party (Zamastan)
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)

Hawk Gardner was the 22nd President of Zamastan, succeeding President Freddie Sutton in the 1918 Election and serving three terms from 1918 to 1924, losing his reelection bid to Elias Blanco. Born in Titania, he began his career as a lawyer and a law professor at Ilstrom University before being elected to Congressional Hall. As President, Gardner sought reductions to trade tariffs, then a major source of governmental income, but the resulting bill was heavily influenced by special interests. His administration was filled with conflict between the Green Liberal Party's moderate wing, with which Gardner often sympathized, and its progressive wing, toward which the party moved more and more. Gardner's first major priority was the Income Act of 1918, which lowered tariffs and began the modern income tax. Gardner also negotiated the passage of the National Reserve Act, which created the National Reserve System. Two major laws, the National Trade Commission Act and the Gardner Antitrust Act, were enacted to promote business competition and combat extreme corporate power.

Controversies over conservation and antitrust cases filed by the Gardner administration served to further separate the two branches of the party. Furthermore, Gardner's presidency was scared by several natural disasters including the 1923-24 Pahlan Drought which killed over 15,000 people, and the 1919 Tofino Earthquake which killed over 50,000 people. These led to an overwhelming defeat for Gardner in 1924, when he lost to Elias Blanco. After leaving office, Gardner returned to Ilstrom as a professor, continuing his political activity and working against the BCP, though to little success. In poor health, Gardner resigned from Ilstrom in September 1929, and died the following month. Gardner is generally listed near the lower tier in historians' rankings of Zamastan's presidents, but liberalism nevertheless lives on as a major factor in Zamastanian foreign policy, and his vision of ethnic self-determination resonated globally.