Xavier Martin

Xavier Munroe Martin, second, and last known President of Skinny87. One of the most reviled political leaders in Haven as well as one of the most well-known war criminals, Martin led Skinny87 as President for nearly twenty years before, in a fit of misguided patriotism, he declared martial law and overthrew Parliament. Installing himself as President for Life, Martin caused a Civil War in the nation which the country has yet to fully recover from. He is currently in maximum security holdings at an unspecified location in Skinny87, awaiting trial for Crimes Against Humanity.

History

Family & Ancestral History

The Martin family tree has roots extending all the way back to the time of Questarian control of Skinny87 under the name of Jesseltown. There is a Jackson Martyn listed as Lieutenant-Governor of the northern provinces of Jesseltown in the middle stages of colonisation of the country as a colony of Questers; a naval officer turned provincial official, Martyn appears to be the start of the Martin ancestral tree. Although killed in his late fourties after leading an armed expedition against 'The Oppressive and Martial natives, being of Unsound Mind and Nature and having attacked several Convoys of unarmed Civilians', Martin appears to have sired a substantial number of children, leading to questions of infidelity and mistresses, a common occurrence in those times.

Records are still being uncovered in Questarian record departments, but there is little mention of the Martins until the early 19th Century, long after independence from Questers. There is a brief mention of one Armstrong Martin, apparent relative of Jackson Martyn, albeit with a modernised surname (Another usual occurence after the independence, as many families wished to rid themselves of any links to Questers, however vague). Armstrong was also a military officer in the 3rd Lanchester Dragoons, a military unit fighting on the northern forntiers against an unspecified enemy force. Records mention Armstrong having two sons, Montgomery and Hugh Martin; Montgomery became an administrator for New Kaylee, and Hugh a rather more mundane occupation, a chemist. From then on, the Martin family continues on for several generations, spawning hundreds of children and relatives, until Xavier Martin's mother, Maribel Martin, was born to Jeminiah & Grant Martin in 1958.

Maribel married Xavier's father, Woodrow, at the young age of 18; Xavier was born five years later to the delight of the couple,m and was the only child the pair had. Maribel was a secretary in a small but prosperous law firm, and Woodrow an influential politican, chosen by Skinny87 to be the first President of the country after the great disaster in the late 1960's. Woodrow held the newly-created office of President for nearly a decade, securing the borders of the nation and ending the years of strife and discontent the great disaster had created. A popular and beloved President, Woodrow died of a heart attack only months away from being re-elected on the Neo-Conserative Party ticket. Maribel, a loving and devoted mother and wife, died a few weeks later; many attributed this to loneliness. Now an orphan, and with the nomination of the Neo-Conservative Party, Xavier Martin was elected as President of the nation, using the combination of the popularity of his father and sympathy for his double loss to gain a substantial lead in both Houses of Parliament.

Pre-Civil War Presidency

Martin came into office on the front of a wave of sympathy and belief that he would do as well for the country as his father had done. It was a daunting legacy to live up to, but one Martin believed he could continue. He told one close aide: "My father served this country until the day he died, protecting the people of this nation. I will continue what he did, always putting this country and its people first". It was to be this policy that would give Martin his most celebrated achievements, and ultimately cause his downfall. Less than a month as the second President of the fledgling nation, his first major challenge came to light; the Hitlerreich conflict.