Alexander Knebel

Alexander Knebel is a United Federation politician who is best known for serving as the 18th President of the United Federation, and after resigning from that post, the leader of the Circles Republic Revolution, which was subjected to nuclear assault by Ryan Madden's government. He also served shortly as the 23rd Vice-President of the United Federation. A career politician from the early months of the United Federation, Knebel was a member of the Union Party, one of the founding members of it; for his whole career he only represented the State of Circles, in the original State Council, and after President Lapord's redistricting plan, the at-large Circles District. 

As President, Knebel had arguably the single most eventful first day of his tenure. During what should have been a routine press briefing, he announced publicly that he was simultaneously rescinding the Valentino Treaty and taking the Federation out of SPATO, effectively disbanding the entire alliance. Shortly thereafter, Vice-President Caden Schwartz immediately resigned the Vice-Presidency, leaving Ryan Madden to take up the position, and Schwartz and the F.W.R. then declared war on the United Federation. This declaration was rescinded shortly thereafter but the damage was done, and nearly every nation in the SPN was in a state of high alert.

Despite almost being invaded by his country, Knebel and Schwartz's relationship was largely mended, and on Nov. 4th, Knebel sold part of the Atkinson Territory, including the City of Ft. Atkinson and surrounding territories around the Koshkonong Sea. This territory, personally purchased by Schwartz, was declared to be the Holy Roman Empire, and with the aid of Knebel's government, declared war on the Central Despan Republic, Kingdom of Pyrrhia, Alpine Union, and later, the Federal Wisconsinite Republic. In response, Knebel, without any approval from his cabinet nor the Senate, took dictatorial powers and declared that the Federation would side with the H.R.E. and thus the Federation went to war. 

This taking of dictatorial powers was, of course, extremely controversial, with Knebel himself saying, "Let the record show, I don't support Dictatorial Nations, but it is a time of need."  The whole of the Federation's military, for the first time since the First Great Prairie War, was mobilized all at once, and for the first time ever, the National Guard was called into active service and Federalized, by orders of Knebel himself.

After the war effort stalled and the Holy Roman Empire collapsed and dissolved, he resigned the office of the Presidency, becoming the first president to do so in the Federation's long history. Ryan Madden succeeded him as President, and controversially, made Knebel the Vice-President. Nevertheless, Knebel sought to reclaim his office, or at least, parts of his influence, when he declared the Circles Revolution and attempted to seize federal property. It would be this same revolution that was bombarded with Nuclear Weapons by Ryan Madden, kickstarting Prairie War III. Knebel escaped and was granted asylum in the West Mendotan Republic, but effectively retired from private life. He was probably a supporter of the Federation Government-in-Exile during the war, based on his statements at the time.

His election to the Presidency followed a previous failed run against Caden Schwartz, and a string of defeats for the Union Party until the landslide election of Ethan Flood, believed by some to be a result of the failure of the Conservatives and the Defenders to alleviate the political and economic ills of the Federation and it's surrounding countries. Flood's tenure largely followed this trend of failure, before a quick recovery finally brought the SPN back in full force and ended the economic depression. 

This recovery served as a major boost for the Party's popularity, and Knebel rode this landslide wave to victory over Jackson Nesbit of the Conservatives, winning with 77.8% of the Vote. 

Throughout his career he has been extremely consistent as a centrist politician, and resultingly has been both praised and criticized. Despite representing Circles for an incredible, unbroken 43 months, he has never introduced a single bill into either house of the Federation Senate, nor has he ever voted against the Union Party's agenda, since being one of the first round of senators to join it. After the election of Andrew Anderson, he became the Chairman of the Union Party Committee, a position he retains. However, he is an isolationist and does not believe the Federation should be involved in any permanent alliances, nor should it increase (or decrease) its military forces, instead keeping it at a steady level.