Teisa Rede
Teisa Rede | |
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| Born | 9 March 1930 |
| Died | 21 December 2018 (aged 88) |
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Teisa Rede (9 March 1930 – 21 December 2018) was a Gylian politician. A long-serving Senator for Aðuna, she was known for her unique "demopolitan conservatism" and her distinctive public image.
Early life
Teisa was born in a village in northern Xevden, now part of Gacar, on 9 March 1930.
She grew up in the Free Territories, where she was educated in volunteer classes and at home. Her parents both served in the People's Army during the Liberation War, and were later high-profile members of Veterans for a Just Peace.
After the war, her family settled in Aðuna, and she worked as a community organiser and anti-Mava Organisation activist.
Career
Teisa ran for the newly-established Senate in 1962, as an independent unofficially courting Urban Movement support. She finished 18th in the final count, winning election. She won re-election in 1969, 1976, 1980, 1985 (her best showing, finishing first), 1990, and 1995, and served in the Senate until it was reformed to a sortition-based body in 2000.
Teisa defined herself as a "demopolitan conservative", and ably charted a course of fusion between socialism and conservatism that earned her wide support in Aðuna. She championed demopolitan approaches to urbanism and spoke eloquently of the ideal of the livable, glamorous city. At the same time, she presented herself as a typical elegantly old-fashioned conservative, supporting the Golden Revolution while advocating more organic and gradual social changes.
During her nearly-four decades in the Senate, she variously served on the Permanent Committee on Community Affairs, Permanent Committee on Local Government, and Permanent Committee on Social Policy — the issues closest to her demopolitan sensibilities.
She proved an especially colourful and popular Senator, cultivating a close friendship with colleague Ser Şanorin. Teisa and Ser were nicknamed the "trench coat caucus" due to their similar appearances and their habit of sitting next to each other in the Non-inscrits area.
Public image
Teisa was commonly described as "the most fashionable of Senators" by colleagues and journalists. Her style was influenced by the androgyny chic of Alscia and the Free Territories.
Her trademark appearance consisted of a masculine three-piece suit with necktie and trousers, a gray trench coat, and a black beret.
Later life and death
After leaving the Senate, Teisa spent the rest of her life in quiet retirement with her family. She was widowed in 2011, and later moved to a nursing home.
She died of natural causes on 21 December 2018, aged 88.
Private life
Teisa was married without children, and outlived her wife, who died in 2011.