John Claremont

    

His Excellency John Claremont
Official Presidential Portrait, 1950
President of Superior
In office November 6, 1949 – October 13, 1957
Monarch	Queen Anne (1949–1950) William I (1950–1957)
Deputy	John Abbott
Preceded by	Floyd B. Olsen
Succeeded by	John Abbott
Leader of the Conservative Party
In office September 13, 1944 – October 13, 1957
Preceded by	Frederich Royall
Succeeded by	John Abbott
Leader of the Opposition
In office September 13, 1944 – November 6, 1949
Preceded by	Fredrich Royall
Succeeded by	Joseph Roswell
Member of the House of Delegates for Upper Omaha
In office August 9, 1937 – October 13, 1957
Preceded by	Kenneth Roosevelt
Succeeded by	John Keaton
Personal details
Born	John Joseph Claremont July 21, 1898 Omaha, Nebraska, Superior
Died	May 18, 1971 (aged 72) St. Joseph's Hospital, Saint Paul, Minnesota, Superior
Political party	Conservative
Spouse(s)	Mary Pierce
Children	3
Education	University of Nebraska Omaha
Military service
Allegiance	Superior
Branch/service	Superian Royal Army
Years of service	1920–1937
Battles/wars	Jani's Rebellion Great War  • Invasion of Superior  • Great Plains Offensive  • Midwest Offensive

John Joseph Claremont (July 21, 1898 – May 18, 1971) was a Superian military officer and politician who served as President of Superior between 1949 to 1957. A member of the Conservative Party, Claremont served as the leader of the party between 1944 and 1957 and concurrently served as Leader of the Opposition between 1944 and 1949 under Floyd B. Olsen during the latter half of his presidency. From 1937 until 1957, he was a member of the House of Delegates for North Omaha from his home state of Nebraska.

Claremont was born in Omaha, Nebraska to a farming family and grew up at the dawn of the 20th century, having moved to Omaha during the industrial expansion of the city during the 1900s. In 1920, Claremont enlisted in the Superian Royal Army during Jani's rebellion, initially as a reservist before rising to the position of lieutenant in the 1st Infinity Division. In 1932, Claremont was present in Lansing following the outbreak of the Great War, seeing early action against the Continental Army of the United Commonwealth during its invasion of the country, forced into a fighting retreat due to the rapid advancements of the Continental Army. He would be promoted throughout the war, first in 1933 for his role in aiding the evacuation of the Superian royal family and the federal government from Saint Anthony before the capture of the city to the Continental Army.

For the rest of his military service, Claremont fought in Central Superior to prevent the Continental Army and the military forces of the collaborationist Superian Continental Republic from capturing and occupying the rest of the country, fighting alongside troops from the Sierran Royal Army. He saw action during the Great Plains Offensive in Dakota and Lakota as part of Superior's defensive strategy and later during the Midwest Offensive just before the wider Liberation of Superior took place. During the latter campaign, he would be injured and was honorably discharged due to medical reasons, but was able to successfully recover from his injuries. He would run for parliament in 1937 in North Omaha, winning the seat as the Conservative Party nominee. During the post-war years, Claremont became a vocal opponent of Floyd B. Olsen, criticizing his post-war domestic programs on grounds of costing too much, delaying reconstruction efforts, and accusing them of being socialist in nature. In 1944, he would be elected Leader of the Conservative Party following the resignation of Frederich Royall and was elected by a margin of 57.5%, being sworn in on September 13 and took over as both party leader and Leader of the Opposition. As Leader of the Opposition, Claremont publicly opposed the progressive agenda of the Olsen government and the Farmer Labor Party, accusing both of advancing "crypto-socialism" and for appeasement over his cautious and non-antagonistic approach to the United Commonwealth in regards to foreign policy. During his tenure as Leader of the Opposition, he garnered a strong following among the Conservative Party and its base, becoming a major conservative figure in the process.

John Claremont would be elected president in 1949 following a major electoral victory, securing a legislative majority and succeeded Olsen. Claremont governed in a staunch anti-Landonist and conservative fashion, adopting a harsh and antagonistic stance towards the United Commonwealth where he built a barrier on the Superior–United Commonwealth border, extended conscription through the National Service Act of 1950, and passed the Landonist and Socialist Control Act outlawing all communist parties in the country and banning membership in any communist and socialist political organization, leading to the Second Crimson Scare in the process. Domestically, Claremont continued the post-war reconstruction policies of his predecessor and even continued his social programs despite critiquing them under Olsen. He sought to incentivize enlistment to the Superian Armed Forces by adding additional benefits such as funding to housing, education, and healthcare to aid with recruitment efforts and sought to promote patriotism, support for democracy, and the monarchy along with Judeo-Christian ethics to contrast Superior with the United Commonwealth. Under Claremont, Superior engaged in a propaganda war with the United Commonwealth by promoting dissent within the latter country and offering asylum to Continental defectors and political exiles through the National Refuge and Asylum Act of 1953. Claremont framed Superior as a battleground in the wider Cold War following its beginning due to its close proximity to the Continental States and convinced the Northern Treaty Organization to establish an army command in the country to deter a second invasion. Claremont retired in 1957 from national politics and was succeeded by deputy president John Abbott as president in the subsequent election that year.

Claremont remained active in national politics after retiring, endorsing and campaigning for several Conservative Party candidates and publicly defended John Abbott in the media. He maintained a strong following within the party's base and used it to aid in the election of several candidates to Parliament and publicly supported the Conference of American States and Superian membership in the CAS upon its creation in 1966. Claremont died in 1971 from a stroke after a political event in Saint Paul, Minnesota following a weak in the hospital. He was buried in Mount Calvary Cemetery following his funeral, which had 5,000 attendants in total. Among historians, Claremont is ranked positively for finishing Olsen's reconstruction efforts, deterring a second invasion by the United Commonwealth, and managing to serve as a unifying figure in Superior during the Cold War, however he has been criticized for his Anti-Landonist legislation on grounds of violating freedom of speech, leading to it being repealed in the decades after his presidency, and for promoting the Red Scare in the 1950s. Among the conservative movement, Claremont has retained a positive image as a strong, powerful leader praised for his opposition to Landonism, opposing the Continental States, and having Superior gain international influence during the Cold War despite its geographic position.

Presidency

Main article: Presidency of John Claremont

Red Scare

Main article: Second Crimson Scare