Secretariat of the 21st Congress of the Continentalist Party

 

Secretariat of the 21th Congress
Emblem of the CPUC
25 August 1954 – 31 August 1958
Leadership
General Secretary	Lysander Hughes
Members
Total	9

The Secretariat of the 21st Congress of the Continentalist Party of the United Commonwealth was in session from 25 August 1954 to 31 August 1958. Elected by the 21st Central Committee, its members served as the highest policy-making authority within the Continentalist Party. The Secretariat was chaired by the General Secretary Lysander Hughes. The Secretariat contained 9 members, its membership remaining consistent throughout its term.

The 21st Secretariat was the first held after the voluntary resignation of Amelia Fowler Crawford, marking a peaceful transition of power, the first in secretariat history since the establishment of the Continentalist States. The 21st Secretariat is largely synonymous with the initiatives of Lysander Hughes and his New Frontier, as Hughes died while in office only a few months into the 22nd Secretariat on 19 December 1958, making the 21st Secretariat his sole completed term. Largely inheriting a body of individuals appointed by Crawford, Hughes favored reconciliation and cooperation, and kept the group's other members intact. This included the largely conservative Michigan Club, which formed a minority bloc within the group throughout its term. Conversely, the 21st Secretariat marked the end for many Old Continentals such as Emmanuel Durante and Winston Ashtabula, the latter having served in the body since the 12th Secretariat in 1922, as they lost favor during Crawford's fall from power. Hughes reinstated Jack Spruance, who had been removed from the 18th Secretariat, with Spruance going on to become Premier of the United Commonwealth and a serving member of the Secretariat for the next 16 years. As a whole the 21st Secretariat rallied around Lysander Hughes' vision, as he pursued a more moderate and inclusive policy compared to his predecessor. He enjoyed a popular mandate for his initiatives, such as the Space Race and the Atoms for Peace program, although the body would clash on the role of computers in central planning, which would become a growing divide in coming decades.

Members

The following is a list of members of the Secretariat, and their respective state and party positions held only during the duration of the Secretariat.

No.	Name (Lifespan)	Portrait	Party position(s)	State position(s)	Tenure
1	Lysander Hughes (1897–1958)		General Secretary of the Continentalist Party	President of the United Commonwealth Deputy secretary of the Presidium Chairman of the Central Military Commission	25 August 1954 – 31 August 1958
2	Daniel Plainview (1908–1999)		–	President of the United Commonwealth Deputy secretary of the Presidium
3	Jack Spruance (1904–1979)		–	Premier of the Council of People's Commissars
4	Elaine Carroll (1900–1981)		–	Vice President of the United Commonwealth
5	Charles Acker (1884–1972)		Chairman of the Central Committee	People's Commissar for Commerce and Industry
6	Erika Reedy (1916–2008)		Chairwoman of the Central Publishing Commission	Deputy secretary of the Presidium People's Commissar for Education
7	Christopher McCormack (1904–1972)	File:Louis St. Laurent 1954 37112 (cropped).jpg	–	Administrator of Affairs
8	Augustus Powell (1906–1993)		–	Deputy secretary of the Presidium
9	Dahlia Leto (1914–2006)		President of the Central Party School of the Continentalist Party	Deputy member of the Central Military Commission