Heinrich Werner
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Heinrich Werner OVF | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Werner in 1990. | |
| President of Vierzland | |
| In office 19 February 1992 – 18 January 1997 | |
| Chancellor | Wenzel Dahlke |
| Preceded by | None (office created) |
| Succeeded by | None (office abolished) |
| Chancellor of Vierzland Vierz Empire until 1990 | |
| In office 20 March 1987 – 19 February 1992 | |
| Preceded by | Uwe Scholz |
| Succeeded by | Wenzel Dahlke |
| Chairman of the United Republicans | |
| In office 8 January 1990 – 4 January 1992 | |
| Deputy | Wenzel Dahlke |
| Preceded by | Office created |
| Succeeded by | Wenzel Dahlke |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Heinrich Tobias Werner 14 July 1921 Elze, Kastor, Vierz Empire |
| Died | 13 February 2014 (aged 92) Talheim, Kastor, Vierzland |
| Political party | Independent (1969–1990; 1992–1997) United Republicans (1990–1992) |
| Alma mater | Imperial University of Talheim |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Vierz Empire |
| Branch/service | Imperial Vierz Navy |
| Years of service | 1939–1948 |
Heinrich Tobias Werner (14 July 1921 – 13 February 2014) was a Vierz lawyer and statesman who served as Chancellor of Vierzland from 1987 to 1992 and as President of Vierzland from 1992 to 1997.
Werner was born in 1921 in Elze, then a town in the Vierz Empire. He saw combat in the Great War during his service in the Navy from 1939 to 1948. He studied law at the Imperial University of Talheim, attaining a doctor of laws in 1960, and became a law professor at the university. Werner presided over a number of high profile cases in both civil and criminal courts, gaining a reputation as a human rights lawyer for his defense of those allegedly wronged by the imperial government.
During the Luepolan War, Werner became involved in the anti-war movement; his activities resulted in his removal from the university. With the onset of the Vierz Revolution, Werner joined the Congress for the Republic, serving as its legal counsel. He became the leader of the organization in 1984. After widespread national unrest in early 1987, emperor Victor IV appointed Werner as chancellor, hoping to appease growing nationwide anti-monarchist sentiment.
Werner moved to implement liberal economic and political reforms to aid the ailing economy and expand civil liberties. His political faction gained a majority in the 1988 elections, the first elections considered "free and fair" in Vierzland since 1927. His policies, as well as his support for popular demonstrations against the emperor, made him an enemy of Victor IV. Werner wielded public support against the emperor; in 1989, Victor IV abdicated as Emperor of Vierzland. With no intention of continuing the monarchy, Werner issued a memorandum in 1990 declaring the dissolution of the empire and the formation of a federal republic. Republican groups merged to form the United Republicans, which Werner was made the leader of. He presided over the 1990 elections and the 1992 elections as chancellor, helping to author the Constitution of the Vierz Federation and oversee the transition "from empire to republic." He stepped down as chancellor in 1992, and ran unopposed for the presidency. As president, Werner assisted the chancellery of Wenzel Dahlke but was generally uninvolved in minute state affairs. He stepped down from the presidency at the end of his term in 1997 with high approval ratings, and retired from politics altogether. He died on 13 February 2014 in Talheim.
Werner was described as "confident," "intelligent," "pragmatic," and "strong-willed" by colleagues and foreign leaders. He consistently maintained the highest approval rating of any Vierz politician in history, and is lauded by historians for his effective and moral leadership. In 2015, he was voted the "Greatest Vierzman in History" in a national poll. His state funeral was attended by over four million people, including numerous foreign dignitaries. In 2005, the Federal Assembly bestowed him with the honorary title Vater der Nation ("Father of the Nation"), which he shares with Constantine the Great.