Hamilton Van Rensselaer Fairfax
Esteemed Deputy President Hamilton van Rensselaer Fairfax | |
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| 29th Deputy President of Rensselaerswijck | |
| Assumed office February 1st, 1931 | |
| President | Willem Lodewijk |
| Preceded by | Justen Klein Meilink |
| Parliamentary group | Coalition Government |
| Member of Parlement van Het Volk | |
| Assumed office February 1st, 1922 | |
| Constituency | Nieuw Hoop (NHD1) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 26th, 1891 Nieuw Hoop |
| Political party | Republican Unity Party |
| ParentExpression error: Unrecognized punctuation character "[". |
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| Relatives | Katharine Van Rensselaer Fairfax |
| Signature |  |
Hamilton Van Rensselaer Fairfax, better known as Hamilton van Rensselaer, is the 29th Deputy President of Rensselaerswijck, leader of the Republican Unity Party, and member of parliament representing the capital city of Nieuw Hoop. Fairfax is apart of the very influencial Von Rensselaer family, and is the great-great grandson to Helmuth von Rensselaer, whom penned the May 21st Declaration splitting Rensselaerswjick from Freijian. Rising to national prominence in the Snap Elections of 1929, Fairfax was the founder and leader of the newly formed Republican Unity Party created in response to the collapse of the Liberal Democratic Party and the fall of the administration of Rudolf Martens.
Early Life and Family
Fairfax was born on January 26th, 1891 in the capital of Nieuw Hoop. He was a sickly child, although his family's incredible wealth allowed him to be treated by the best doctors in the province and by the age of 7 he had improved his health significantly. He was born into a family of wealth, and thus attended private school throughout his teenage years. He is the great-great grandson to former Freijian noble and author of the May 21st Declaration Helmuth von Rensselaer.
Being groomed into a role of national importance, Fairfax had always had an interest in politics. At the age of 21 in 1912, he officially registered to join the Liberal Democratic Party as a member. He was a vocal proponent of a "regional balance" of power between the provinces and states, and often held speeches in various political clubs in Nieuw Hoop. As a member of the Van Rensselaer family, his opinion immediately carried weight. Four years later, the death of his father shook the household to its core, reportedly deeply affecting Fairfax. He withdrew from most public engagements for a year in mourning.
Fairfax in the Political Scene
Liberal Democratic Tenure
By 1920, Fairfax was active in Liberal Democratic politics, albeit forming a right-wing of the party which opposed the broader mainstream policies of expansion of federal power. He had jumped ranks in the power, ultimately hoping to push his wing of the party to the mainstream and hopefully push the entire Liberal Democratic party more to the right. His wing of the party lost in the 1922 primary for Party Leadership, so Fairfax decided to take matters into his own hands and contest the Mercantile Interest seat of Niew Hoop in NHD1, Nieuw Hoop Center.
Representing Nieuw Hoop and the 1922 Election
To further his influence over the Liberal Democratic party, Fairfax announced a bid to oust the Mercantile Interest party in Nieuw Hoop's 1st district. Coincidentally, Willem Lodewijk was also running for re-election in Nieuw Hoop's 2nd district (Nieuw Freijstad, or NHD2), and often sparred in local city debates between districts. By election day, he had flipped the 1st district of Nieuw Hoop while the 2nd went to Lodewijk.
Liberal Democrats won big gains in the 1922 election, being able to form a government with the Christian Democrats under Rudolf Martens.
Fairfax's Shift from the Liberal Democrats
As the administration of Rudolf Martens continued expansion of government power and reach over regional governments, Fairfax quickly found himself in the minority of party officials. While his wing of the party was still alive and well, party officials had solidly backed the Martens Administration and its policies. This seemed to pay off in the 1926 Election, in which Martens won a sweeping landslide victory in his re-election campaign and viewed it as a greenlight for a continuation of his policies. Disheartened, by 1928 Fairfax was reportedly considering leaving the Liberal Democratic party and becoming an Independent, although he considered against it after urging by party officials.
Formation of the Republican Unity Party
The further consolidation of government power by the Martens Administration reached a fever pitch when the governemnt attemped to consolidate the posts of President and Deputy President. The Supreme Court swiftly shot down the effort, and even went as far to dissolve the administration of Rudolf Martens and charge high ranking Liberal Democratic officials. Fairfax immediately denounced both the Martens Administration and the Supreme Court, renouncing his Liberal Democratic affiliation.
He commented to the press that "The Martens administration had no right to attempt such government overreach, while the Supreme Court had no right to interfere in the business of the Executive Branch." Due to his denouncement of the administration and his distancing from the party, Fairfax was spared criminal charges.
The Liberal Democratic Party soon collapsed, as many followed Fairfax's lead and renounced their party affiliation. In the run up to the 1929 proposed snap elections, Fairfax created a new party, encompassing both the center right and left, remnants of the Liberal Democrats and otherwise, which would seek to unify the country after such a drop in internal stability. The party railed against government overreach and finally Fairfax's policies of regional balance could be enacted. The new party quickly had a pluraity in Parliament despite no votes being cast for it.
In the 1929 Snap Election, Fairfax's message of unity and less government oversight won big, and the new Republican Unity Party won a landslide in Parliament, narrowly missing the Presidency to the incumbent caretaker President, Willem Lodewijk. This electoral gain elected many new members which were even more aggressive in their policies of regionalist autonomy, and the party experenced a significant shift to the right.
1930 General Elections and Fairfax as Deputy President
By 1930, the Republican Unity Party had lost some of its initial momentum. The Liberal Democratic party had rebranded itself, and the Mercantile Interest Party saw a boost following the ever popular presidency of Willem Lodewijk. In the 1930 General Elections, the party just barely lost its absolute majority in Parliament, forcing it to come to an agreement with the Mercantile Interest and the now re-elected Willem Lodewijk. This coalition government had Fairfax elected as Deputy President. This arrangement would carry through even to the 1934 elections and beyond.
Faifax as Depupty President
Relations with President Lodewijk
Fairfax has had a friendly personal relationship with Willem Lodewijk ever since they both entered into Nieuw Hoop politics. Although slightly different on the political spectrum, they have been able to share common-ground on many issues. In the public eye, at least, both are in complete agreement on almost any issue. In reality, disagreements do flare up. The creation of the Rensselaerswjick Indigenous Occupation Zone was privately denounced by Deputy President Fairfax, who remarked that it would "divide the nation, not unite it." Days later, he appeared in public endorsing the bill and helping it pass handily in Parliament.
Coalition Government
By 1930, the Republican Unity majority in parliament allowed it to pass legislation of its choice without fearing any reprocussion. But by the formation of a coalition government with the Mercantile Interest party, concessions would have to be made to the Merchant Class in the port cities of the country. Fairfax has overseen this, making sure the coalition is stable and healthy for the time being. Partnership between the two parties seems to have cemented, although disagreements flare regarding the priorities of rural Rensselaers and Merchants.