Martin Barber

   

Martin Barber
Official portrait, March 1949
16th President of Astoria
In office January 20, 1947 – January 20, 1956
First Minister	Frank Keyes
Preceded by	Ramsay Stephens
Succeeded by	Ed Hull
High Senator for Portland
In office January 5, 1938 – January 6, 1947
Preceded by	Everett Fox
Succeeded by	Dick Corwin
Member of the House of Commons for Portland's 19th district
In office January 5, 1923 – January 5, 1938
Preceded by	Casper Johnson
Succeeded by	Verne Wehnert
Personal details
Born	Martin Sydney Barber July 14, 1895 Eugene, Portland
Died	March 21, 1983 (aged 88) Kennewick, South Columbia
Political party	National
Spouse(s)	Lily Webb (1916-1983; his death)
Children	Theodore Barber Chloe Barber Thomas Barber
Education	University of Portland Willamette University College of Law

Martin Sydney Barber (July 14, 1895 — March 21, 1983) was an Astorian poltician who served as the 16th President of Astoria from 1947 to 1956. A member of the National Party, he also served as a High Senator for Portland from 1938 to 1947 and a member of the House of Commons from 1923 to 1947.

Born in Eugene, Portland, Barber came from an impoverished family, the second eldest son of five children. He attended the University of Portland while working odd jobs to support himself, earning a degree in business in 1917. He took a job working at a marketing firm and earned a law degree from the Willamette University College of Law. In 1922, he left his job to successfully run for the House of Commons in the 1923 Astorian general elections. Within the House of Commons, he quickly became a boisterous leader for the National Party, and after three terms in the House, was elected by the Portland Legislature to serve as the junior High Senator for the province. From there he was catapulted into fame and popularity. Known for his intense opposition to Landonism, he spearheaded the establishment of the Bureau of Sovereign Defense (BSD) and the Senate Committee for Threats Against Astorian Sovereignty (TAAS), both of which investigated hundreds of individuals in government, media, and business thought to be associated with Landonism or have Landonist sympathies. He became the senior High Senator for Portland upon the retirement of Alan Holmes in 1945 and from then was the parliamentary leader of the Nationals, becoming the first leader of a major party from the Senate, and breaking a long-standing convention that High Senators be non-partisan.

Barber ran in the 1946 presidential election against Labor-Democratic candidate Jeffery Gibson, whom he defeated in a landslide with 63.6% of the vote. On January 20, 1947, he was sworn in as the 16th President of Astoria, succeeding Ramsay Stephens. As the first post-war president, he led a wave of Astorian nationalism and promised to protect Astoria's sovereignty against foreign influences. An insurgency waged by the Landonist Party of Astoria began to intensify and he believed the BSD would not be enough to combat it. He strongly supported and signed into law the Seditious and Un-Astorian Activities Act, which banned the Landonist Party and its affiliates in Astoria. As a primarilist, he was strongly opposed to the Sierran Cultural Revolution and issued executive orders to restrict freedom of movement at the Astoria-Sierra border in order to prevent it from influencing Astorian society. He also supported legislation to restrict immigration from east Asian countries to Astoria and unsuccessfully fought to repeal the Human Rights Act of 1946, signed into law by his predecessor. He was re-elected in 1949, in 1951 signed into law the Health Care Act which established the Common Health System, and in 1952 was re-elected to a third term.

In 1951, Matt Royer, a member of the Landonist Party, fired six shots at Barber which all missed. Royer was charged with and convicted of attempted murder and treason and sentenced to death but he appealed his conviction. It reached the Supreme Court which ruled in 1953 that killing, or attempting to kill, the president is treason under the Constitution and upheld Royer's conviction, who was executed a year later in 1954. Barber used the attempt on his life to urge Parliament to pass the Security and Enabling Act which gave the President the near limitless power to rule by decree until it was struck down by the Supreme Court in 1957 as a violation of the separation of powers.

Barber's popularity remained high throughout his presidency but he declined to run for a fourth term in 1955. He was succeeded by Edward Hull, who was a ardent supporter and follower of Barber. He has become a controversial figure in modern times, with supporters praising his strong and decisive leadership while his opponents attacking his unprecedented assumptions of power and accusing him being a racist and quasi-dictator. His presidency and style of politics, called Barberism, established many precedents and customs and his legacy is still felt and debated today. The Barber family became a powerful force in Astorian politics in the decades after he left office.

Early life

Martin Sydney Barber was born on July 14, 1895 to Doris Mae (née Good; 1876-1932) and William Barber (1873-1951) in Eugene, Portland, the second of five children. Martin had one older brother, Andrew, two younger brothers, Emmett and Patrick, and a younger sister, Cecilia. From his mother's side, Barber could trace Irish and Scottish ancestry while from his father's he could trace primarily German ancestry. Barber's ancestors arrived to the North American continent sometime in the early 18th century. Barber's grandfather, Fredrick Barber, fought in the Eugene War at the age of 23. It was a family legend that Fredrick fought alongside Wilbur Anderson himself but historians investigating this claim have concluded this would not be possible, as Fredrick Barber was assigned to the 7th Army Battalion which did not participate in any battles or engagements with Anderson present. After the war, the Barbers migrated further west, settling in Eugene, Portland, the namesake of the war that ended with Astoria's independence.

Martin and his siblings grew up in poverty due to his father's alcoholism and inability to maintain steady employment. William borrowed large sums of money from Doris's family and paid little of it back, leading to constant arguments between them which created a discordant home life for Martin. On one occasion, William's father-in-law showed up to their house, demanding to be paid back, which ended in a fist fight between the two men. Doris's family pressured her to get a divorce but she refused. Martin sought refuge from the chaos by making himself scarce from home, spending time in the woods with his brother, Andrew, who taught him how to fish, catch rabbits, and generally live self-sufficiently. Martin's mother also imparted on him the importance of school and learning and made sure he completed his school work.

Although he hated it at first, Martin came to appreciate and prefer being at school. While attending Eugene First High School, he frequently volunteered to help teachers assign and grade homework and even research topics for lessons, befriending them in the process. Martin also enjoyed studying in the school library, where his teachers would let him stay well-past school hours. Inspired by his grandfather, Martin developed an interest in Astorian history and admired Wilbur Anderson and other heroes of the Eugene War. He also studied economics and business, resolving to create a better life for himself. He left home at the age of 16, vowing he would never speak to his father again. He worked various jobs to support himself, including mechanic, grocery store clerk, and handyman. For the first year of his independence, he lacked a stable home and lived with friends and teachers from school for weeks at a time. He briefly worked for the Eugene Police Department as a civilian employee processing intakes to the local jail but quit after witnessing "too many men that reminded me of dad." Upon graduating high school, he earned a scholarship to attend the University of Portland where he met his future wife, Lily Webb, and future political allies, including First Minister Frank Keyes. He took a part-time job at a law firm taking calls and scheduling appointments while attending university, which first piqued his interest in politics. He studied law in his spare time which led him to begin offering free legal advice despite not being licensed. Barber was fired once his bosses learned of this, who told him to go to law school if he wanted to help clients.

Webb and Barber were married in 1916. Lily gave birth to their first son, Theodore, in 1917 and Martin graduated that same year with a bachelor's degree in business and was offered a job at Lane & Monday, a marketing and public relations firm in Salem, Portland. After receiving his first paychecks, he approached his maternal grandfather and offered to pay off his father's debts but his grandfather would not accept the money, saying it would be better spent on Barber's new wife and son. Barber began studying law at Willamette University College of Law where earned his law degree. He passed the Portland Provincial Bar examination, becoming fully licensed in 1920. He worked at Lane & Monday for five years, two of which he represented the company in its legal affairs, before leaving in 1922 to pursue a career in politics. He recounts "I made more money in one month than my family had seen their whole lives. It was then I truly realized what mattered." He launched a campaign for the House of Commons in the 1923 Astorian general election, financed by his own savings. He was elected to the House of Commons that year to represent Portland's 19th district, after running on a platform of self-reliance for Astoria and advocating for programs to put impoverished Astorians to work and foster independence. He also briefly supported the temperance movement but changed his views shortly before the election. It remains unclear what motivated this change.

Presidency

Main article: Presidency of Martin Barber