Gwyneth Hapsgaard
| Lady Gwyneth Hapsgaard | ||||||||
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Lady Gwyneth Hapsgaard was born into luxury as the daughter of the Baron of Aluksne. Despite her privileged background, young Gwyneth was a quiet, hard-working and diligent student. She attended the Imperial College at Excalbia University and graduated with a degree in law in 1974.
As an idealistic young attorney, Lady Gwyneth embarked on a career as a public defender. In 1979, she switched tables and became the Assistant Imperial Prosecutor for Valmiera. She quickly rose to national prominence for her pro-victim public statements and her tough approach to rooting out organised crime.
Lady Gwyneth married Lord Martin Hapsgaard of Valmiera in 1980. In 1981, Lord Hapsgaard was elected to the Imperial Senate. The new Lady Hapsgaard was named Imperial Prosecutor of Citadel Excalbia in 1984. In 1987, Lord Hapsgaard was re-elected. Unfortunately, he suffered a massive stroke in 1989 that left him incapacitated. Lady Gwyneth resigned her position as Imperial Prosecutor and was named to fill her husband's seat.
The new Senator was easily re-elected in 1993 and quickly became one of the leading figures in the Progressive Conservative (PC) Party. She served as Chairman of the Committee on the Imperial Judiciary from 1993 to 1996.
In 1996, she was named Minister of Justice. She continued to hold that position after Emperor David IV selected Lady Christina Freedman to form a new Government. In 2005, after an undisclosed scandal forced Lord James Reynolds' resignation as Director of Imperial Intelligence, Lady Gwyneth was asked to take over as Director and reform the agency.
When her party dropped out of government following the 2005 elections, Lady Gwyneth resigned her position as Director of Imperial Intelligence. However, she remained an influential senator and a leading spokesperson for her party.
In late 2005, the Emperor suffered a severe heart attack leading to conflict between the Imperial Senate, the Imperial Household and barons over the regency and succession to the Sword. When that conflict led to a failed attempt by members of the Imperial Household to close the Senate and an equally disastrous attempt by the barons to replace the Emperor with his cousin, the government of Lady Jessica Tagaarth collapsed.
In the aftermath of the chaos, a national unity government was formed by the Progressive Conservatives, Liberals, Freedom Party and Christian Union. Lady Gwyneth, who helped form the new coalition nominated Lord Yornis Halton as the right person to lead the new government and gladly accepted an invitation to return to her former position as Minister of Justice.
