Jacob Eiden
"The presidency is important, and it is a responsibility. And we have a responsibility to our citizens."
-Jacob Eiden
"The presidency is important, and it is a responsibility. And we have a responsibility to our citizens."
-Jacob Eiden
Role: President of Crimson Dusk
Previous Roles:
President of the U.F.P.
Vice-President of the U.F.P.
Admiral of the Fleet
Commander of Carrier Operations
Jacob Eiden is a Federation Founding Father, Politician and Military Officer who is best known for his Whirlwind-class Light Frigate Design and his term as the 10th President of the United Federation. He is also well known as a Crimson Dusk politician. He is considered the Father of the Carriers, for his early and groundbreaking work on Aircraft Carriers in the Sun Prairie Nations; he would eventually be named the Supreme Commander of Aircraft Carrier Operations. He took office as President after a tight election between himself and Jacob Monday, with Jacob Monday at one point being called as the winner.
During his tenure as president he was largely regarded as "not as enthusiastic" as his predecessors, considered two of the most popular presidents in Federation History, Nicholas Lapord and Christopher Fallis. He mainly stuck to standardized policies, and as the "Summer President" rarely had crises to manage. His administration only put forward three pieces of major legislation, only two of which were passed, the Nuclear Disarmament Act and the Military Reductions Act. He oversaw the longest period of peace and economic growth in the History of the Federation. One of his most significant achievements was personally negotiating the end of the Valentino Crisis in the wake of Prairie War I.
He lost his bid for re-election to Ryan Madden, after which he criticized John Banks-George's support for Ryan as splitting the Union Party and making it harder for him to reach a winning coalition. He also believed that Madden was unreliable; a claim which would prove phrophetic several times over throughout the Federation's ongoing history.
His service in the 2020 months has garnered significant controversy, specifically the lack of legislation that was passed. Many accused him of being a lackluster president, only riding the success of his Whirlwind-class. However, this is largely not substantiated, and despite the prevalence of the view, most historians tend to disagree with the assessment. While the legislation his administration passed was comparatively small, this was a predictable consequence of his time. With his two predecessors being extremely active and popular presidents, the nation was largely set up for disappointment. Additionally, Eiden was an excellent negotiator and a preserver of the fragile peace after Prairie War I, as the F.W.R., Despa, Dauntless, and Valentino all challenged each other in the aftermath.
Many of his legislative achievements were actually extremely meaningful. The Nuclear Limitation Act was a major step towards peace in the aftermath of the First Great Prairie War, and was followed until the F.W.R. pulled out of the resulting treaty in 2020. The Military Disarmament act was also meant to result in a treaty to limit weapons abroad, but several countries failed to either sign or fully commit to the treaties.
The campaign for his election in April was largely between himself and Jacob Monday, with the two distinguishing themselves by party affiliation. Eiden campaigned on his experience in the military and his business acumen. The election was tight for the full duration, and was controversial as the Absentee ballots had in the end made the difference between the two.