Huistin Kob
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Huistin Kob | |
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 Official portrait, 1929 (Colorized) | |
| 1st President of the Republic of Roheau | |
| In office February 13, 1923 – December 3, 1936 | |
| Vice President | Klark Gustau |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Everri Couston |
| Commander in Chief of the Roheaun Armed Forces | |
| In office February 13, 1923 – December 3, 1936 | |
| Appointed by | People's Plenary Assembly of Roheaun |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Everri Couston |
| Field Marshal of the Republican Armies | |
| In office June 20, 1921 – February 14, 1923 | |
| Appointed by | Parliament of the Commons |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Himself (as Commander in Chief) |
| Colonel of the 1st Narces Regiment | |
| In office March 1, 1890 – January 1, 1921 | |
| Appointed by | Emperor Ludan I |
| Preceded by | Aekor Gran |
| Succeeded by | Elivan Feli |
| Delegate from Narces Province to the Parliament of Commons | |
| In office January 1, 1910 – December 31, 1918 | |
| Preceded by | Tarquinus Valik |
| Succeeded by | Dogor Vanhusin |
| Delegate from Roheau Province to the People's Plenary Assembly | |
| In office January 1, 1921 – February 13, 1923 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Klark Gustau |
| Delegate from Narces Province to the People's Plenary Assembly | |
| In office January 1, 1924 – December 30, 1932 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Klark Gustau |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 27, 1866 Burgusat, Narces, Markian Empire |
| Died | December 3, 1936 (aged 70) Anteli Peak, Narces, Republic of Roheau. |
| Resting place | Kob's Mausoleum, Rovajina-Leste |
| Political party | Coalition for Markos |
| Spouse | Abeila Dadana (m. 1901) |
| Parents |
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| Relatives | Kob family |
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Huistin Gaelius Kob Jr. MoB MoH FoAF CoAF (Anglicized as Justin Cobb) was a Roheaun military officer, statesman, biologist and broadly considered the father of the modern Roheaun state, who served as the first president of the Republic of Roheau (1923-1938) from 1923 until his death in 1936. First appointed by the then Emperor of Markos, Ludan I, as Colonel of the 1st Regiment of Narces, Kob became an outspoken proponent for ideals of socialism, revolution against the monarchy, and military reformism. A savvy politician and masterful public speaker, the Colonel's message for a socialist revolution became ever more ardent following the Antonderite War for Independence of 1916 and the subsequent political fiasco of the September Crisis. After Speaker of the Commons Ellasius Hickle declared Parliament's disavowal of the Monarchy and Ludan I mobilizing troops to the capital in order to maintain power during the conflict known as the 14 days, Colonel Kob was the first military officer to declare full support for Parliament and moved to intercept the Monarchist Garrison in Dadán Province, a move deemed crucial for the initial survival of the Republican Polity during the 12 days as it denied Emperor Ludan I the capacity to send heed for reinforcements in the near proximity. Kob would successfully lobby his political and military influence to gain supporters to the Republican cause, advocating for the principles of socialism, universal suffrage, military modernization, democracy and social welfare.
His political views would be fundamental for the foundations of the new Roheaun state, as Colonel Kob quickly rose to become the unifying figurehead at the helm of the Republican cause, in 1921 being named Field Marshal of the Republican Armies. Often classified as a Roheaun Nationalist, Kob led a push for Roheaun supremacy and during his 13 year long presidency he oversaw a myriad of different acts heavily restricting minority rights, specially among Krádans, and expanded Roheaun dominance of politics in his pursuit of "National Unison". He personally vetoed hundreds of legislators seeking to increase Krádan and Gallisian rights across the Republic of Roheau, even going as far as banning the Krádan Worker's Party in spite of this same sharing the Markian Socialist ideology of which Kob was a major proponent and the considered founder.
Despite his racial views, Kob was a key proponent of civil and human rights, and despite acting against Krádans and Gallisians alike he famously avoided bloodshed where possible and offered amnesties and presidential pardons to most of the Krádan Revolutionary Council following the Krádan Wars. He founded the Roheaun Welfare System by creating bodies such as the National Healthcare Association, the Public Social Safety Net, the Public Housing and Refuge System, the Labor Raffle, and, most prominent of all, by nationalizing services such as education, law and order, judicial processes and firefighting services which had acted under jurisdiction of the feudal lords during the era of the Markian Empire. His firm socialist stance led many to deem his style of it as Markian Socialism, MarSoc, or simply Kobism, an ideology which would quickly gain notoriety and popularity across the Markian Sea and abroad.
During his free time, Kob enjoyed anthropology, botanical sciences, and curated a small garden of insects and exotic flora off his property in Anteli Peak, Narces. He is regarded as one of the greatest Roheaun biologists of all time, and it is estimated that he might have discovered upwards of 210 species of different insects, arthropods, brachiopods, fungi, and even a species of deer (Cervus Cobensis, Kob's Elk).
Kob's influence was pivotal in the implementation and ratification of the Constitution of the Republic, which was in large part crafted by Kob himself. Being a member of the "Great Six", Kob was an indispensable asset for the Constitutional Committee's ability to garner public support and legitimacy, as Kob became essentially the spokesman and main legislator of the Constitution. His work and many of his personally proposed articles and legislations still stand in the Constitution to this very day, and the codified Constitution of the Republic of Roheau still stands to this day as one of the oldest constitutions in the world. Subsequentially to the ratification of the constitution, Kob was unilaterally and bi-partisantly elected First President of the Republic of Roheau, amassing 100% of the Popular Vote in the first ever election held in 1923. His party, Coalition for Markos Party (Today Future of Markos Party) is still on power to this day and has won every subsequent election since 1923. He served a total of 3 terms and a partial 4th term before succumbing to heart failure and dying peacefully in his sleep in his summer home at Anteli Peak, Narces Province.
Today, Kob is widely regarded as a complicated figure in Markian politics, being seen by some as a savior that restored order and stability as well as brought some much needed socialism to the region of Greater Markos and to the Republic whilst by others as nothing short of a tyrannical despot who ruled by fear and the power of the armies behind him rather than popular support, and as a man who took pride in committing crimes such as ethnic cleansing and cultural appropriation as well as assimilation. Despite this, Kob is still widely regarded as the "Father of Markos" and reveered by both Roheaun and Gallisian politicians, military men, and scientists alike.
Early Life (1866—1884)
Born in February 27, 1866 in Burgusat, Narces, Huistin Gaelius Kob Jr. was the eldest out of 5 children who would come out of the marriage between Huistin Kob Sr. and Erlin Marie Kob. The Kob's were a family of relatively poor farmers, and whilst very humble, his father Huistin Kob Sr. always taught Huistin Jr. the importance of charity and dilligence. Kob primarily dedicated himself to work on the fields, as his family did not have enough money to course him through education greater than the very basics of primary school, according to anecdotes shared by his brothers and sisters as well as his late mother he always showed extreme affinity for manual labor and a "Resolved mindset to always strive for greatness". He and his father would routinely perform visits to the town market in Burgusat where he would spend time bargaining and preaching at the local bishopric. He allegedly learned much of his knowledge in mathematics from these visits to the market in which traders and the local abbot would give him free lessons of basic arithmetic, statistics, probability and even some more advanced concepts such as calculus and algebra at very reduced levels.
In 1872, the Kob's decided to move from Burgusat to Dadac' Prairie, an enclosed agrarian community of highly religious Dadacians. There, he enrolled in his church's sunday teachings, receiving much needed education by part of the local preacher Yivediah and making many acquaintances within the community. He would learn to read, write and many other skills from preacher Yivediah who was an illustrated city abbot before fleeing to the countryside in search of a more pure life. According to an interview performed in 1925, "It was there were I discovered the true destiny that I had. After seeing a military parade organized by the tyrant of the time in order to celebrate a plentiful harvest, I decided that I wanted to be a part of the military (...) I am not sure what it was–something about those outfits, all so tidy and clean. The organization with which they moved. The rejoice and acclaim with which other people received them. I felt an innate urge to enroll and serve my national duty, and the rest was history." Kob would begin performing routine visits to the small garrison that laid at the outskirts of town, being affably and affectionately called "Dudu", or "Little Warrior", by the town guard due to his warrior spirit and resilience when tested.
By 1880, Huistin Sr. had made a large amount of money from diversifying into cattle herding, a risky yet extremely prosperous venture that initially posed a hardship in the family's finances but ended up turning their lives into closer to the bourgeoisie, with his father owning roughly 1300 acres (526 Ha) of land in Dadac' Prairie. Using this money, Kob was enrolled into the extremely prestigious Royal Navy Academy of Rovajina-Leste after he showed "An extreme affinity for all things martial in nature, leadership skills on par with those of a man 20 years his elder and a courage and devotion unmatched save for the very best of the empire's sons." Despite being enrolled primarily due to his academic and military prowess, Kob was alledgedly relentlesly bullied for his humble origins and he has been quoted as saying "They made my life a living hell, and made very well sure that I knew at every moment that I was not welcomed there nor would ever be welcomed. In spite of this however, I pulled my strings together, set my mind clear and continued to stride for my destiny." When asked if he ever considered acquiescing to the bullying, he simply replied that "I don't let my pants be soiled by some idiotic aristocrats, I had harder things to fear at home–such as my dad!"