Xavier Ashcroft

    

Xavier DeWitt Ashcroft (20 August 1883 – 21 August 1944), also known as X.D. Ashcroft was a Congregationalist-Continental admiral, revolutionary and politician who commanded the Continental Navy from 1922 to 1938, and was President and First Secretary of the Congregationalist States from 1919 and 1922, respectively, until his death. Considered one of the leaders of the Northeastern Revolution, he helped organize the overthrow of the Northeast Union by 1919, founding the Congregationalist States and becoming the President. He aided the revolution of Aeneas Warren against the government of the United Commonwealth until the end of the revolution. Afterwards, he signed into law and led the unification of the Congregationalist States into the United Commonwealth in 1922, whereupon he became Commander of the Continental Navy and First Secretary of the Congregationalist States. A popular figure, he managed to survive throughout Seamus Callahan's tenure as General Secretary due to his personal popularity in the Congregationalist States and the respect he held in the rank and file of the Navy. Despite major disagreements between Callahan and him, Ashcroft held an ideological loyalty to Landonism and Continentalism, which led him to cooperate with Callahan.

Xavier Ashcroft
Xavier Ashcroft at his private residence in early 1937
1st President of the Congregationalist States of the Northeast
In office 10 August 1919 – 21 August 1944
Preceded by	office established
Succeeded by	Tiberio de Vittoria
1st First Secretary of the Congregationalist States
In office 1 May 1922 – 21 August 1944
Preceded by	office established
Succeeded by	Makkabi Fudenberg
Commander of the Continental Navy
In office 1 May 1922 – 13 October 1938
Preceded by	office established
Succeeded by	Stanley E. Bartholomew
Personal details
Born	20 August 1883 Providence, Northeast Union
Died	21 August 1944 New York City, Congregationalist States, United Commonwealth
Nationality	Continental
Political party	Continentalist Party
Spouse(s)	Sophie Ashcroft (born Ondráková)
Children	4, including Aeneas and Nike
Residence	New York City
Alma mater	Newport Naval Academy
Religion	Congregationalist
Awards	Order of the Crimson Star Continental Revolutionary Award Order of the Red Banner Medal "For Impeccable Service" Medal "Veteran of the Armed Forces of the UCCS"
Military service
Allegiance	Northeast Union (1904-1917) Congregationalist States (1917-1922) United Commonwealth (1922-1938)
Branch/service	Northeastern Navy (1904-1917) Congregationalist Navy (1917-1922) Continental Navy (1922-1938)
Years of service	1904-1917 (Northeastern Navy) 1917-1922 (Congregationalist Navy) 1922-1938 (Continental Navy)
Rank	Lieutenant Commander (Northeastern Navy) Admiral (Congregationalist Navy and Continental Navy)
Commands	Continental Navy
Battles/wars	Continental Revolutionary War Liberation of New York Liberation of Newport Battle of Nantucket Sound Great War I Blockade of the Antilles Battle of Placentia Bay Battle of Bermuda

Ashcroft was born in Providence to a well-to-do Northeastern family of some political clout within the Whig establishment of Rhode Island. His upbringing was heavily influenced by the teachings of the Congregationalist Church, as well as by his Quaker-influenced schooling, but ultimately he would move away from Christianity. He would enroll in the Northeast Union's Naval Academy located in Newport, where he first began developing his own theories on Landonism. He became known as a somewhat insubordinate officer with a defiant streak, but despite this, continued to be promoted for his ability to lead and command. He began developing his own Landonist theory known as Congregationalism, which called for syndicates and collectives to control the means of production and be led democratically from within through a worker's council, using the concept of the worker-led economic syndicates to organise the state, similar to the open town meeting system common in his native New England.

In 1917, inspired by the events unfolding in the neighboring United Commonwealth, Ashcroft became the ringleader of a sailor's strike in New York Harbor, which would spark the Northeastern general strike of 1917 and the start of the Northeastern Revolution, which overthrew the Northeast Union and established the Congregationalist States. Allying himself with working-class leaders such as lawyer Tiberio de Vittoria and union boss Makkabi Fudenberg, Ashcroft liberated New York City from the forces of the Northeast Union, and this soon inspired uprisings throughout the country. His decisive leadership in the early stages of the Revolution and the loyalty of other naval cadres led to him becoming sworn in as the first President of the Congregationalist States of the Northeast. He used this position to aid Aeneas Warren's Continental Revolutionary Army, leading to their victory in 1921. Shortly before the Treaty of Bernheim, on 20 April 1922, the Congregationalist States would join the United Commonwealth through the Union Treaty, and Ashcroft would simultaneously become Commander of the Continental Navy and First Secretary of the Congregationalist States.

During the period following the revolution, his political powerbase and the loyalty of the Navy meant he was both able to survive Seamus Callahan's purges and partially protect both the Congregationalist States and the Navy from Callahan's purges. Though the rivalry between Callahan and Ashcroft was legendary, both were in agreement over Continentalism, though they disagreed on the principle of how it should be applied. During Great War I, Ashcroft led the Continental Navy, establishing its might and putting it on the map as one of the premiere naval forces of the world. However, Ashcroft would be forced out of his position in the Navy by Callahan shortly after the war. He continued being a thorn in the side of Callahan until his death on 21 August 1944, one day after his 61st birthday, due to a heart attack. He was buried in the Congregationalist Necropolis in New York City, despite the wishes of some Continental leaders to bury him at the Crimson Square Necropolis in Chicago. His funeral with full honors was attended by tens of thousands of people and cemented him as one of the legendary founders of both the Congregationalist States and the larger United Commonwealth. Despite this, his sudden death is seen in conspiracy circles as a poisoning orchestrated by Callahan to take Ashcroft out. He is remembered as the father of the Continental Navy.

Early life, education and early military career

1883-1904: Childhood to young adult

Winfield Greene DeWitt, Whig Secretary of State of Rhode Island, and Xavier Ashcroft's maternal grandfather.

Xavier DeWitt Ashcroft was born on 20 August 1883 in his family's home in Wayland Square, Providence, as the only child of Archibald Rogers Ashcroft and Abigail Louise (née DeWitt) Ashcroft. Archibald was a minor political figure in Providence politics, having been elected to the Providence City Council as a pro-business, pro-United Commonwealth Whig. Abigail's father, Winfield Greene DeWitt, was a wealthy Providence businessman who had entered politics to become Secretary of State of Rhode Island, also as a Whig. On his maternal side, Ashcroft is related to the powerful Greene family of Rhode Island, thus making him distantly related to American general and revolutionary hero Nathanael Greene. Xavier Ashcroft would be baptized in the Beneficent Congregational Church in Providence. Archibald and Abigail would, however, die in the 1885 New London railway disaster while they were travelling to New Haven on business, leaving the young Xavier to be raised by his maternal grandparents, Winfield and Susan DeWitt, in their house in the affluent neighborhood of College Hill.

DeWitt, whom Ashcroft would later call his 'childhood father-figure', would encourage an education in literature in the young Ashcroft, who would come to be able to read and write at the age of four, and would be fascinated by the books he had available in his grandparents' library, including Ovid's Metamorphoses, One Thousand and One Nights and Samuel Taylor Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner, which Ashcroft would cite as the poem that sparked his fascination with sailing and the sea. In addition to this, the DeWitts were very pious Congregationalists, actively attending church and reading passages from the Bible before dinner. Despite this intellectual proclivity, it was noted by family and friends that Ashcroft was an active child, never able to sit still and always craving to be outside. Ashcroft's grandparents would spend the summers in Newport, where he further developed his fascination with the sea and the Navy. He credited seeing the midshipmen of the Naval Academy sail in Narragansett Bay as one of his motivations for joining the Northeastern Navy, and it is known that he had begun learning how to sail on the yachts of his grandfather's friends. However, it is also known that Ashcroft found the conventions of upper-class society of Newport summers stifling, never really feeling like he fit in.

Ashcroft attended the elite Quaker-run Moses Brown School, during which he was considered both an intellectually-gifted student, writing poems and short stories at the age of 15, but also a very good athlete, playing on the school's lacrosse team, which became champions of the Providence County Junior Lacrosse League during his time on the team. Into his teenage years, however, he also became known as someone who rebelled against authority. Ashcroft wrote in his memoir that it was at this time that he started participating in underground boxing rings during this time, which is where he first started encountering leftist ideas among the dockworkers, sailors and industrial workers of Providence. It was during this time that Ashcroft's relationship with his grandfather started to deteriorate, mainly due to conflicts over his future. DeWitt wished for his grandson to attend Brown University and step into politics, while Ashcroft himself wanted to join the Northeastern Naval Academy in Newport. Despite his disapproval of the career choice, DeWitt also believed the Naval Academy might instill discipline and a greater respect for authority in Ashcroft, thus allowing him to attend. Just before leaving to attend the academy, however, Ashcroft's grandmother Susan would die of consumption, which would set the path for the final rift between him and his grandfather.

Continental Revolution

Political and military career in the United Commonwealth

Legacy

Awards and honors

• Hero of the United Commonwealth (1938)
• Hero of the Socialist Labor (1931)
• Eugene V. Debs Award (1930)
• Warren Prize for Literature (1940)
• Order of Victory (1938)
• Order of the Revolution (1942)
• Order of the Crimson Banner of Labor (x2) (1921)(1935)
• Order of the Crimson Star (x2) (1930)(1943)
• Order of Sherman (1936)
• Order of John Paul Jones (1938)
• Order of Distinguished Courage (1938)
• Commonwealth Cross (1936)
• Medal "For Impeccable Service" (1928)
• Medal "For Strengthening of Brotherhood in Arms" (1942)
• Jubilee Medal "XX Years of the Peoples' Continental Army" (1941)
• Jubilee Medal "30 Years of the Revolutionary Navy" (1937)
• Medal "For the Liberation of Quebec" (1938)
• Medal "For the Liberation of the Maritimes" (1938)
• Congregationalist Banner of Labor (x2) (1919)(1927)
• Order of the Torch of Liberty (1940)
• Order of the White Pine (1925)
• Order of the Congregation of Workers' Councils (1922)
• : Order of the Golden Star of Topèque (1926)
• : Star of People's Friendship (1940)
• Quebec: Order of the St. Lawrence (1939)
• Quebec: Order of Ormeaux (1944)
• Placentia: Order of the White Whale (1940)
• Ireland: Order of the United Ireland (1941)