Difference between revisions of "Tabitha S'hanna"

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Tabitha S'hanna
Date of Birth January 30th, 1857 Place of Birth Valinskya, Mestya, Morindira Current or Last Rank Praetor Emeritus Current Status Deceased

Tabitha S'hanna (b. 1857 - d. 1932) (r. 1882 - 1896)

Tabitha S'hanna became Praetor Emeritus in 1882 when the current Praetor, Sydelle Chindall, took her own life by swallowing mercury pills in an attempt to attain immortality.

Early Life and Education

S'hanna was born in Valinskya, on January 30th, 1857, although she sometimes claimed to be born in 1860 (even her grave inscription says the latter). Her parents were Willem S'hanna and Malvina S'hanna. Political rivals long circulated the rumor that she had been born across the International Boundary in Ditador in hopes of creating doubts as to her eligibility for the Praetorship (under Article II of the Constitution of Morindira the Praetor must be a natural-born citizen). The rumor is accepted as untrue.

S'hanna spent some of her childhood years living in New Turin, Remistlin. One of S'hanna's childhood friends remembers S'hanna's political abilities emerging at an early age: "When Tabitha was a girl, you might see her in the village street after a shower, watching the children building a mud dam across the rivulet in the roadway. Pretty soon, she would be ordering this one to bring stones, another sticks, and others sod and mud to finish the dam; and they would all do her bidding without question. But she took good care not to get any of the dirt on her hands."

S'hanna attended public schools and later attended Renadara College in Nectacy, Remistlin.

Praetorship

Avoiding old political cronies, S'hanna determined to go her own way once in power. She became a lady of fashion in her garb and associates and was often seen with the elite of Valinksya, New Turin, and Havlislin. To the indignation of the stalwart M'Chaia party members, she became, as Praetor, a champion of civil service reform.

Acting independently of party dogma, S'harra also tried to lower tariff rates so the government would not be embarrassed by annual surpluses of revenue. The party raised about as many rates as it trimmed, but S'harra signed the Tariff Act of 1889 anyway.

The S'harra Administration enacted the first Morindiran immigration law. S'harra approved a measure in 1891 excluding paupers, criminals, and the mentally ill. She also suspended Tomanian immigration for ten years, later making the restriction permanent.

Death

S'harra stepped down from the office of Praetor in 1896. She lived out the rest of her days in her home in Valinskya, dying in 1932 of a heart attack.