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Frymonmon

President of California
29 Badges
Jul 21, 2010
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Hello, and welcome! I would like to invite each and every one of you to my latest forum game, Empire of the Pacific!

To some of you, this name might seem familiar, and that's because it shares the name, and the inspiration, from my most successful AAR for Victoria II. Now, you might be thinking this is all well and good, and perplexed by what exactly this forum game is. Here, you shall take the place of any citizen inside the Californian Republic, and roleplay as them moving through the country's history. While it will be primarily centred around governmental figures, this does not always have to be the case, you may be a titan of industry, the leader of a union group, or the small indigenous population seeking to assert their rights. This game is wide open for any possibilities, and any players.

Now, this game seeks to bring the player-character games on this forum to a new level. For those who have read The Presidents by BigBadBob and have read Crisis in the Reichstag by myself, you'll have a loose understanding of how this game will progress. As it stands, the game will open on March 19th, 1845, the first official day of Californian independence from Mexico. The history behind the country is expanded on in a post below. In this game, the government will be responsible for foreign affairs, responding to crises that may arise, as well as the mundane operations of government, such as budgets and frontier settlement. This game will be highly IC driven, and will have an electoral system similar to that The Presidents had. Updates will take place over the course of a year, filled with information about the operations of the country, and to reflect the IC that is posted. There will be stats and information for this game, detailing California's economy and government. Below is a template that can be used to sign up for this game, and it's NEVER too late to join.

Name: John F. Cameron
Occupation: President of the United States
Date of Birth: July 9th, 1798
Political Party: Federal Party
Biography: Born in western Kentucky, John Cameron grew up in the woods of Kentucky, where he joined the Kentucky Militia in the 1820s, gaining the rank of Sergeant. He was persuaded into Congressional Politics by his fellow militiamen, striking out against what he felt was a grave injustice done against Kentucky by the Federal Government. Being elected to Congress as a Federalist, he showed himself to be a masterful politician, colourful and vivid in his speeches, he was the natural choice for the Presidency during the 1843 election. After winning in a landslide, President Cameron currently resides over a restless country.

IRC Channel

Link: Coldfront
Channel: #WiR_Main
Instructions:
1) Use the link provided above.
2) Choose the Flash app or the Java app.
3) Create a screen name; it’s recommended that you use your forum name, if available.
4) Close the #coldfront channel that opens automatically.
5) In the command box, type “/join #WiR_Main” without the quotation marks.
6) You’re in the chat! Welcome!

Update Schedule

The way this game is structured makes the year rather unique. The largest updates are called the Presidential Year updates which shall cover a majority of the year, and will give information about the country as a whole during these months. There will be a total of three full years of updates (on a weekly basis) that will allow the President and Congress to government, and by the end of the President's term, the Party Nominations for President open, allowing anyone in the party to challenge for the Party's Nomination. The next update, which will be "Presidential Election - Voting" will have the result of the Primaries, as well as open the floor for the participants of the game to vote for President. The next update will be the Presidential Election Results, and will follow through to the first year of the new President's term in office.

1. Presidential Year #1, 2, & 3 (January-December)
2. Presidential Year #4, 5, & 6 (January-October)
3. Presidential Election - Voting
4. Presidential Election - Results

Table of Contents
Character-Participant List
History of California (1842-)
Legislation & Government of the Californian Government
Statistics of the Californian Republic


Information on Elections
1. Only the President is elected. Players are free to announce themselves as part of the Assembly. Players MAY NOT be Senators unless they have already been elected and served as President with their character.
2. All parties must have an internal primary and the party leader MUST PM me their candidate of choice within twenty-four hours (24) of the post I make in thread.
3. Any party member can request I make a public vote for party leadership control. If successful, they inherit complete control of the party.
4. The President is elected via secret ballot. 50% of the vote total comes from Player Characters (PC) while the other 50% comes from the population as a whole. One cannot win on player support alone, and must campaign and stay within the good graces of the public in order to win.
5. A Presidential Election will end when the voting period has either surpassed 48 hours or 90% of the Participant Population.
 
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Character-Participant List



99KingHigh
Augustus Naddim Rothschild-Morgenthau B. 1800

Ab Ovo
Hércules Theodore de la Pommeraie B. 1799

aedan777
William Clark B. 1813

alexander23
Thadeus Smith B. 1795

Andre Massena
Colton Burpo B. 1816

baboushreturns
Lewis Owings B. 1813 - D. 1849

bakerydog
Valentin Chaufourier B. 1815

Bonecracker(NL)
Victor Shaw B. 1811

Dadarian
John Griswold B. 1801

Deaghaidh
William Patrick O'Dea B. 1810

DensleyBlair
Dr. Júpiter Arreola B.1809

Bialaska
Christopher J. Stevenson B. 1815

Dr.Livingstone
Pierre du Mortier the Second B. 1818

DutchGuy
Fernando Alvares B. 1815

etranger01
Alexander Ulysses Sinclair B. 1821

Firehound15
John M. Menzies B. 1794

firelordsky
Artemio Romero de Terreros 1810

Galren
Mitchell R. Jerrold B. 1810

Gen. Marshall
Jack Marshall B. 1788

Haresus
Henry Fielding B. 1803

Harpsichord
John Hyde B. 1805
Brigham Young B. 1801

jacob-Lundgren
Heinrich Dalman B. 1808

jeeshadow
Andrew Pryor B. 1804

KeldoniaSkylar
William Rathburn Reed B. 1815

Korona
Henry J. McAlistor B. 18??

LatinKaiser
George P. Gowan B. 1810

MastahCheef117
Isaac Leonard Shaw B. 1814

Mathrim
Don Anicio de la Vega B. 1808

Maxwell500
Charles Thomas Frost B. 1792 - D. 1849

m.equitum
James William Allard-Hensdale B. 1819

Mikkel Glahder
Nikolay Gagarin B. 1791

naxhi24
Juan Manuel Campo B. 1800

NikoHoI3
Alexander Kingston B. 1807

Noco19
Lazarus Caine Shaw B. 1814

Nodscouterr
César Antonio Castañón B. 1821

Otto of england
Richard Scott B. 1808

parabranko
Clarence Hubert B. 1810

Plutonium95
Samuel Cooke B. 1818

Phuryninja
Theodore Glasgow Jones B. 1812

Qwerty7
Grover Clark Smith B. c1795

Ranger900
Andrew Mitchell B. 1816

Riccardo93
Henry James Jarvis B. 1802

Scrapknight
Matthew James O'Brien B. 1812

sealy300
Sani Claw B. 1813

Shynka
John William McEbin B. 1805

Somberg
Albert Augustus Sheridan B. 1807

Spectre17
William Henry Clinton B. 1809

Stormbringer
Antoine Janis B. 1824

Terraferma
Timothy Sherman Walker B. 1814

TJDS
Jonathan Charles Peter Pierson B. 1803

Tufto
Wu Huang B. 1811

VibraniumTaco
James Frederick Benton B. 1815

Watercress
James H. Somerville B. 1802 - D. 1849

XVG
José Antonio de Guzmán B. 1792

Banned Players
PotatoMan

 
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Legislation & Government of the Californian Government

1845
President: William Ide
Chief Minister: James Somervile

1846
President: Henry Jarvis
Cabinet of the Republic
Chief Minister: Alexander Sinclair
Enacted Legislation: Amendment to Ban Slavery, Amendment to introduce Term Limits, Amendment on District Government and Borders, Bill for the renaming of Yerba Buena, Frontier Defense Act, Normal School, Revenue Cutter, Weights & Measure, Golden Dollar, Property, Mining, and Budget of 1846 Acts

g0lyFUd.png

54 National Democrats (Blue)
23 Republicans (Red)
16 Confederalists (Light Green)
2 National People's Party (Light Blue)
2 Expansionists (Green-Brown)
1 California Association (Orange)
1 Abolitionist (Grey)
1 Independent (Dark Grey)


1849
President: Henry Jarvis
Cabinet of the Republic
Chief Minister: José Antonio de Guzmán
Enacted Legislation:

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34 California Association (Orange)
30 National Democrats (Blue)
22 Republicans (Red)
6 National People's Party (Light Blue)
6 Expansionists (Green-Brown)
2 Independents (Dark Grey)
 
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The Mexican Civil War, Texas, and Californian Independence (1842-1845)


In the aftermath of the Battle of San Jacinto, the fate of Mexico's control in Texas was sealed. The Texan victory was overwhelming and immense, smashing any hopes the Mexicans had of bringing the rebellious province back into the fold, along with damaging the prestige of General Santa Anna, who was also serving as President. Santa Anna, who was held captive by the Texans, was powerless to influence Mexican politics in the south.

Agustín Jerónimo de Iturbide y Huarte, the son of the first Mexican Emperor, announced that he was assuming control of Mexico, and forming the Second Empire of Mexico. After riding in Mexico City with a column of cavalry, he crowed himself Emperor, and declared Texas a "province in revolt." Few people actually accepted the rule of Iturbide, leading to even more fighting against Imperial and Republican forces. An indigenous uprising in the Toluca Valley, near Mexico City, caused the Emperor to announce a complete crackdown across all the territories he owned.

The resulting Battle of Celaya, which pitted the Republican Army, filled with indigenous and mestizo fighters, against the mostly white Imperial Army, was a massive defeat for Iturbide, forcing him to withdraw to the South. Continued fighting would continue for three years, with neither side willing to give in to the other.

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1. Battle of Celaya.

In October of 1839, after years of long military campaigns, Iturbide was captured in Mexico city and executed. Leaving behind a deeply divided country. The ensuring government, run by Augusto Vasquez, a mestizo, did not last long, as Santa Anna marched into Mexico City and captured him, establishing yet another dictatorship under himself. In a bid to try and reinforce the unity of the country and to assert his dominance, he marched his army north to the Rio Grande, seeking to bring order to the rebellious Texans once and for all.

President Mirabeau Lamar had fully prepared for the occasion, sending rangers to the southern border to monitor any type of violence that could move into Mexico, and established a working relationship with the United Kingdom, securing the purchase of several clipper ships, and large amounts of weapons, to outfit the Texan Army. Along with the United States, the Texans were ready for the oncoming Mexicans.

After yet another stunning defeat at the Battle of the Nueces, the Mexicans were finally forced to capitulate, recognising the most extreme of Texan claims. In Alta California, however, groups of Englishmen and Americans had been moving into the area, in search of new prospects and furs, and began to settle amongst the Mexican population. The Wars to the South, and the defeat at the hands of the Texans, had left Alta California almost completely cut off from the central government in Mexico City. Manuel Micheltorena, the governor of Alta California, sensed he could claim for himself dictatorial powers, and expelled all non-Mexicans from the territory, claiming that they had "invaded" Alta California.

While he garnered massive support from the Californios, the white, Spanish-speaking population, he erred in his judgement of the power of the Anglo minority. In Monterey, the "Bear Flag" was raised in front of the governor's mansion by irate Anglos, who seized control of the governor's house, and announced Alta California was now it's own, separate and independent Californian Republic.

Several days later, the Californian Declaration of Independence was signed and sent to both Mexico City and Austin[1]. William B. Ide, a pioneer who was born in Massachusetts, was declared the provisional President of California on August 18th, 1843. The Mexican government refused to accept the Declaration as legitimate, while the Republic of Texas offered their immediate recognition, and began to lobby for the United Kingdom and the United States to do the same, cutting off any potential support the Mexican government would have.

khf8J95.gif

2. The only known photograph of President Ide.

With the Mexicans preparing for an attack, and the Californians seeking to establish a government, the Californian Army, around three thousand strong, was commissioned, to seek to establish control from the Pacific Ocean to the Rio Grande[2]. The first Mexican attack came through Nuevo Mexico, with cavalry harassing Californian and Texan farmers, resulting in a strong condemnation from Austin. As the new year approached, the Mexicans sent an army of 16,000 men up into California, seeking to destroy the fledgling Republic.

The Army was fraught with problems, few strongly supported the government, and even more were confused by the logistics of the entire operation. In the few battles that were fought, the army won resounding victories, but the Texans, seeking to truly hit home their power against the Mexicans, raided their supply lines constantly, forcing the Mexicans to drive to the Pacific Ocean. Upon arrival, the army had dwindled by nearly sixty per cent, and surrounded to the Californians.

This de-facto surrender gave California true independence, as Independence Day was marked as being on the day of their surrender, June 20th. The United States, whom many believed had ambitions on both Texas and California, had still yet to recognise California's independence. With the defeat of expansionist James K. Polk by Henry Clay, the new government moved to recognise California, and declared it would seek peaceful relations with the two countries, effectively ensuring that neither would become the target of annexation.

As California moves into 1845, President Ide has been seeking the drafting of a true Constitution, and announcing he would not run for office under the new government. The Californian Constitutional Convention declared to meet in Los Angeles, moving away from the provisional capital of Monterrey, where the true business of establishing a Republic would be undertaken.

---

[1] - The Californian Declaration of Independence cited "eternal brotherhood" with the Republic of Texas.
[2] - Neither Texas or California held effective control of the Rio Grande for several decades after their independence.

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The Californian Republic in 1845.
 
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Name: John Griswold [Ger: Johann Griswold] [Sp: Juan Griswold]
Date of Birth: 12th August, 1801 (44)
Place of Birth: Stendal, Duchy of Magdeburg
Position: Owner and Proprietor of Griswold & Son Bank

Bio:

Born to a middling family of burghers from Stendal in the small Duchy of Magdeburg, Johann seemed born into a life of moderate wealth and influence. However when Prussia was defeated by Napoleon in 1806, the Griswolds fled the nation to what was then Mexico. From there the Griswolds settled in Yerba Buena (now San Francisco). His family, among the first whites in that part of the world, grew moderately wealth as the bankers of the city. His father, Herman Griswold, managed to gain the trust of the local establishment, and earned enough of a living to have John (then Juan) privately educated by bother his father and a tutor.

He spent much of his years working for his father, until Herman passed away in 1838, whereas John took over the family business. As the various trails opened up and greater amounts of white settlers came to Yerba Buena/San Francisco, the Griswold bank was the only one that they trusted. By 1842, John was an incredibly wealthy man. His place in the Revolutionary wars was small, providing money enough to outfit a company of 150 men to serve in the south.

His support earned him a minor place in the Ide Provisional Government, however with elections coming up, who knows what will happen.



Pamphlets and Publications:
The State of Politics:

I - 1845
II - 1845
III - 1845


The Griswold-Lehr Family Trust:
Owned Parts:
1. Lehr and Associates Law Firm
2. Griswold and Son Bank
3. Griswold-Lehr Militia

4. Frost Tobacco Company
5. Sierra Nevada Mining Company (controlling interest at 66% shares of 200/300)
5. Frost-Somerville Shipping (50% control with 1,000/2,000 shares)
 
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Name: Juan Manuel Campo
Occupation: Representative from San Jose, Rancher
Date of Birth: September 26, 1800
Background: Juan Manuel Campo was born to a Mexican rancher. In 1821, Juan Manuel would help Mexico achieve independence from Spain. In 1822, his father would die from tuberculosis. He moved to the then Mexican Province of Alta California, more specifically, the small city of San Jose. It was there that he would develop his ranch for the next twenty years. He would marry and have twins, a girl and a boy, in 1840. When Alta California revolted and declared itself the California Republic, Juan Manuel began to take interest in the situation. He was a staunch Mexican loyalist, and did not want California to separate from Mexico. Juan Manuel believed that California was an essential part of Mexico, and that Mexicans would be the only ones to lead this new country. He ran on a ticket to promise greater rights and privileges to Mexicans living in California. He was elected to serve as Representative for San Jose.
 
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medias
Name: Charles Thomas Frost
Occupation: Owner and Proprietor of Frost Tobacco
Date of Birth: March 12th, 1792
Date of Death: April 29th, 1849 (aged 57)

Biography: Born in London, England, Charles Thomas Frost was born to a moderately wealthy family invested in a successful trading company. Fortunes would not last however as early in the Napoleonic Wars the conflict would see the company affected greatly and lead to its eventual collapse. Wary of the conflict in Europe and seeking a new life Charles’ father would take the family to Canada in 1808. His father would then setup a lumber company in the following year with most of their remaining wealth: it would over the next few years grow quite successful and Charles would get involved in the business’ functions in 1811. With the end of the Napoleonic Wars however his father wished to return to England and try his hand at the trading business once more; Charles would decline to return with them and instead take a quarter of the money from the sale of the business and cross over into the United States, staying there for nearly a decade before finally deciding to travel to Alta California having been attracted by the Mexican Government’s settlement encouragement. Heading straight to Los Angeles he would take advantage of the lack of any tobacco industry in the area and found ‘Frost Tobacco’, bringing in a number of skilled individuals from the United States and Europe to work for him and to train locals in the manufacturing process. From the onset the business was extremely successful and would grow rapidly with him opening up a branch of the company in Yerba Buena. He would consider expanding into Mexico in the late 1830s but with growing instability in the heartland he decided against it and his judgement would prove correct with the outbreak of the War for Independence. Although rather indifferent to the success of it he would eventually jump on the bandwagon and supply the Ide Administration with monetary support, this eventually culminating in his inclusion in the Provisional Government. With the war and independence secured he now seeks to continue his business aspirations but also to involve himself in the politics of the land.

Assets

Stock Holdings

Frost Tobacco Company: 1,000 shares [100.00%]
Sierra Nevada Mining Company: 100 shares [33.33%]
Frost-Somerville Shipping Company 1,000 shares [50.00%]

Positions
Delegate to the Constitutional Convention from San Francisco (1845)
Representative to the National Assembly for San Francisco (1846-1848)
Chairman of the City Council of San Francisco (1848-1849)
 
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Name: George P. Gowan
Occupation: Colonel of California Militia
Date of Birth: 12 April, 1810
Biography: George Gowan was born in a small farm town in western Pennsylvania in 1810. At the age of 6, George and his family left their struggling farm and moved to the Louisiana Territory. Here, George grew up, learning how to hunt and fight. In 1835, George moved to California, where he made a living as a farmer. However, once California declared independence in 1843, George Gowan found his calling and immediately joined his local militia, which would merge with other militias to form California's small army. In the subsequent battles against the Mexicans, George showed strong leadership and courage under fire, and by the end of the conflict he had been made a full Colonel of his militia regiment. Now, as the young California Republic seeks to organize its military into a professional fighting force, George has an opportunity to rise to an even greater position.
 
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Name: Alexander Ulysses Sinclair
Date of Birth: May 5, 1821 (age 23)
Place of Birth: New York City, USA
Position: Captain in the California Militia

Biography:

A.U. Sinclair was born to a relatively prosperous merchant family out of New York, with roots easily traced back to the time when the settlement was called "New Amsterdam." His father, a third son with a modest inheritance and no long-term prospects, chose instead to pack up his wife and their two children and make the hard, arduous trek out to California in search of new opportunities.

The family settled in the San Francisco Bay with several other small families, forming the nucleus of what would eventually become the city of San Francisco. Alexander was brought up to believe in the value of hard work, organization, and determination when seeking one's goals. When the Declaration of Independence went out, Alexander volunteered; his formal education and ability to raise his own small troop of soldiers with his father's money gained him a wholly unearned lieutenancy at the tender age of 22.

Despite his young age, Lieutenant Sinclair won his reputation on the battlefield for his unbridled fierceness in combat, his excellent grasp of logistics, and his instinctive understanding of the proper uses of artillery. He was wounded honorably in the shoulder during the final battle against the Mexican Army, a wound which contributed to his post-battle promotion. He elected to continue his career in the ad-hoc Californian military rather than return to civilian life with most of the other volunteers.
 
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Name: Navajo: Sani Claw | English: Samuel Clawson | Spanish: Emanuel Garra
Occupation: (Self appointed) Representative of the Native Americans in California.
Date of Birth: 13 September, 1813
Biography: Born into a western Navajo Tribe, Sani Claw's history is somewhat unknown. He can speak English and Spanish as secondary languages to his native Navajo; however how he learnt them is not well known, whenever he is asked he merely replies "I had a teacher". He kept to himself in the capital of the Mexican Province, even during the war for Independence he kept his down, working for a law firm. However, now that the rebellion has succeeded, has decided to go into politics and see what he can do for his people.
 
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Name: John William McEbin

Occupation: Colonel

Date of Birth: July 4, 1805

Biography:

John McEbin was born in Boston to a Scottish father and a mother descended from Native Americans. Some of his native roots are visible in his long, brown, silky hair. John’s dad was a soldier, and so were four of his older brothers, so naturally this was the career path he chose too. After a fairly boring career, John was dishonorably discharged from the US army at age 25; a fact he hides until this day, and says that instead he quit himself after an injury. The reasons for his discharge are unclear, but it was rumored in his home town that it involved his superior’s daughter and copious amounts of alcohol.

McEbin decided to deal with his problems by running away to Europe. Upon arriving on the old continent he at first tried to join the British Army, but soon enough was swayed towards becoming a mercenary soldier in the Belgian Revolution, where he fought for the Dutch, and after seeing how things were going, for the Belgians. After the revolution ended he chose to stick to the mercenary path of life, as he didn’t see any others being available. He fought in numerous campaigns, usually fighting against either uncivilised natives or rebels. He travelled the world up until the age of thirty two, when he decided he missed home and decided to come back. He eventually made his way to Texas, where he fought for the Texans, and then moved to California, where he did his service for the militia. For his duties in the field he was awarded with a citizenship and multiple promotions.

John has gained much experience in his travels, and is now fluent in seven languages. He also made friends with some Austrian aristocrats, an African prince and a cattle thief from India.​
 
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Name: Henry J. McAlistor
Occupation: Captain of the Californian Milita
Bio: Henry James McAlistor was born in the city of Boston, Massachusetts to low-income parents. He grew up in relative poverty, usually thieving and pickpocketing to help his family get by. When he was 16, Henry left Massachusetts for Kansas, as he had family who emigrated there. He found a job guarding settlers as they traveled across the land, protecting them from Native Americans, robbers, smugglers, and anything that would attack said settlers. The boredom of Kansas eventually persuaded Henry to move to the real frontier, California. He moved in with Patrick MacDonnell, a Scottish immigrant who bought a small plot of land near Los Angles. When California declared independence, Henry saw opportunity, and joined the Californian Milita. Since Henry was an experienced rifleman, and was barely literate, yet still able to read, he was promoted to Captain, serving in the First Californian Milita, a newly created regiment.
 
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Name: James H. Somerville
Occupation: Landowner & Statesman
Date of Birth: September 24th, 1802 (43 years old)
Biography: Born in the city of Bristol, England, Somerville was born into a family of urban artisans who specialised in shipbuilding. His father served as a sailor in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, and after the conflict, settled down a to a more comfortable trade as a carpenter and naval architect. The family relocated to the West Indies in the 1820s, following the demand for mercantile trade, before proceeding onto the United States in search of further opportunities. Upon the death of his father Somerville embarked on a new life in the distant West, utilising his inheritance to purchase land in Central Valley, California, then a part of Mexico, as one of many individuals swayed by the Mexican Governments' efforts to encourage settlement in the region. He established a profitable homestead, which gradually grew in a great estate, employing labourers and leasing out land to tenants. As one of the major magnates of California, Somerville soon became swept up in the cause of Californian independence. Although more hesitant and conservative than most on the issue, he eventually fell in line with the rest of the predominantly Anglo-American rebellion. Serving as a figure on the Provisional Government of California, Somerville now stands as major statesman of the nascent Republic, committed to a strong and prosperous California. As a major landowner he represents the interest of the Western Coast, of business interests, and of economic magnates with conviction.
 
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Name: William Rathburn Reed
Born: June 20, 1815
Place of Birth: San Francisco, California
Occupation: Head of the San Francisco Bay Trading and Ferry Company and holder of the Rancho Buri Buri and Rancho Corte Madera del Presidio

William R. Reed was the product of a marriage between the British trader John Reed, head of the Reed Trading Company based in San Francisco, and Hilaria Sanchez, daughter of Jose Antonio Sanchez and sister to Jose de la Cruz Sanchez and Francisco de Haro – both former Alcaldes of San Francisco. Given his parentage and engagement in trade, William is one of the few elites fluent in both English and Spanish.

John Reed had come to San Francisco from Dublin, Ireland in 1808, applying for a land grant. While awaiting his land grant he established the San Francisco Bay ferry service using a sailboat. He received his grant of the Rancho Corte Madera del Presidio from the then present Governor of Alta California, Jose Joaquin de Arrillaga in 1812.

Reed was able to make use of Rancho Corte Madera del Presidio or “Lumber Mill of the Presidio” and the experience and connections he had made while running the San Francisco Bay Ferry Service, along with the inheritance from the death of his father to expand his ferry service to include shipping products along the California coast and beyond. It was through this enterprise that he meet Hilaria Sanchez and with her would have William Rathburn Reed. It was also through here that the Rancho Buri Buri would pass to William.

When his parents passed away due a carriage accident in 1838, while William was away in England pursuing his education at Cambridge. William thus took over the trading company and the Ranchos. He would expand the Reed Trading Company to Trans-Pacific Trade and direct trade with the East Coast of the United States making use of the new Clipper ship, to speedily make the voyages across the Pacific and around the Cape. It is his firm belief that there is no greater natural harbor on the Pacific than San Francisco Bay and he desires to take full advantage of it. William also seeks ensure the rights of patriotic Spanish speakers in the new California.
 
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Name: Jonathan Charles Peter Pierson
Occupation: Owner and Director of Pierson Trading Company
Date and Place of Birth: 5 May 1803, Amsterdam, Batavian Republic (42)
Bio:

Jonathan Charles Peter Pierson - born Jonathan Karel Peterus Jacobszoon Pierson - was the only son of Jacob Hubert Gerardzoon Pierson, a wealthy Catholic merchant and one of the primary stockholders in the Verenigd Oost-Indische Compangie (VOC). Due to the economic downturn in the United Provinces in the 1780s, Jacob lost a large amount of his capital and thus the respect and treatment he and his family recieved eventhough they were catholic. Therefore Jacob became one of the staunch (financial) supporters and of the Patriotten, patriots, a militant group inspired by the American Revolution and the Enlightenment wishing to democratise the Oligarchic Republic that the United Provinces was and most importantly for Jacob, to make all religions equal to the law, instead of the Dutch Reformed preference that had existed since the foundation of the Republic. After many skirmishes, militarily and politicaly, the Patriots rose up against the Regenten, the oligarchs of the Republic, with armed citizens and were briefly successful, mostly thanks to the fund of Jacob and other Catholic merchants, but when the wife of the stadtholder asked her brother, the King of Prussia for help, the future Jacob hoped to give his family, collapsed. The King of Prussia send Feldmarschall Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel with 26 000 men to crush the Patriot Revolution, which he swiftly did. Jacob and his family fled to France where they would stay until the French Revolutionary Forces took Amsterdam and created the Batavian Republic, a vassal republic, but an equal republic, Jacob became one of the repressentatives in parliament of Amsterdam, where he would serve till the end of the Republic, with the accension of Lodewijk Napoleon I, King of Holland in 1806. Jacob, with his three year old son and his wife travelled to the United States of America, in the hope that he could create a stable and free enviroment for his son in a Republic rather than a unholy monarchy. Jacob would die in 1824, five days before Jonathan's 21st birthday, leaving his wealth, although depleted due to the Patriot Revolution and the VOC's bankruptcy in 1801 to Jonathan. Jonathan seeking to make his wealth large, created the Pierson Trading Company, which used Jacob's ties with Dutch merchants in the Caribbean, Africa and mainland Europe to buy goods in the Netherlands to sell them in the United States of America, this company, the PTC, was moderatly successful, eventually able to establish various plantations and factories in both the United States and the Netherlands, but ultimatly it would never become as powerful as the VOC was, even in its last days. In 1845, Jonathan saw an opportunity, in the newly established Californian Republic he could not only use its ports to trade with India and the East Indies, he could create industry and other businesses and use his capital to influenced the Californian Government into a more business, his business, friendly envoriment. Thus Jonathan travelled from Boston, where the headquarters of the Pierson Trading Company was established in 1826, to the Californian Republic, with hope, ambition, a bible and enough capital to start a few enterprises, for what are the first two without capital? But would Jonathan be able to build a PTC empire, only time can tell.
 
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Name: Henry James Jarvis
Occupations: Silversmith, soldier, politician
Date and Place of Birth: 7 April 1802, Boston, Massachusetts
Bio:

H.J. Jarvis was born in Boston, Massachusetts to a successful silversmith and veteran of the Revolution, and the daughter of another prominent businessman (a trader who predominantly dealt in fur); like many sons from well-to-do families in Boston, he attended and graduated from Harvard in 1821. He then attended (with the support of Congressman John Reed) West Point starting in 1824. Despite participating in the Eggnog Riot of 1826, he, likefellow student Jefferson Davis, were not court-martialed and in 1828 he graduated 25th in his class of 34. Returning to Boston (having found no posts satisfactory to him in the Army), Jarvis joined his father in silversmithing, a well-paying but rather boring life.

In 1835, with the outbreak of the Texan War for Independence, Jarvis travelled south to join in the fight; he would serve as a cavalry officer at Bexar and San Jacinto. After the war, he stayed in the New Republic of Texas, being elected as a pro-Annexation Congressman in 1840; two years later, he was voted out for taking a more moderate stance on Indians.

Jarvis spent his next year in Texas trying to revive his political career, though by 1844, he was seriously considering returning to Boston; however, news of rising tensions in the Californias convinced to try his luck further west; he arrived in San Francisco in December of that year, and quickly joined in the independence movement. What his future role, or his politics, in the new California Republic will be remain to be seen.

((Might as do a blast from the past as well))
 
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Name: Wu Huang

Occupation: Shopkeeper in Los Angeles, leader of the tiny Chinese community there (about 50 people).

Date of Birth: 18th April 1811 in Canton, Canton Province, Qing Dynasty.

Biography: Born into a Cantonese merchant family, he received a good education (by the standards of the time and place), but suffered from an abusive father and an unprotesting mother. In 1827, at the age of 16, he ran away on a merchant vessel heading west, but was discovered lurking in the hold when they docked in California, and was thrown out onto the streets by his former shipmates. After years of living on his wits, he eventually acquired some land in Los Angeles in 1837- enough to set up a small bookshop, specialising in Oriental works and translations, including rare manuscripts imported from the Old Country. Despite his small means, however, his quick wit and charisma (not to mention his good grasp of English) and frequent travel have led to him becoming the de facto leader of the tiny Chinese community of the new republic.

The Chinese community has until recent times been scattered across the state, but Wu Huang has been gathering them in Los Angeles, holding gatherings and parties and creating a sense of communal ties. At the moment, this community only numbers a few dozen people, but who knows what the future might bring...
 
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Name: Lazarus Caine Shaw
Occupation: Rancher and Aspiring Politician
Date of Birth: August 3rd, 1814 (30 years old)

Biography: A younger scion of a wealthy North Carolinian plantation family, Shaw, knowing that his elder brothers would be forever in charge, decided at the age of 18 to set forth into the American West to find his own success. Sponsored by his kin, Shaw, along with a number of slaves and personal friends, departed westward, first stopping in Texas. Making connections among his fellow southern migrants in Texas, learning a good deal about the climate and lay-of-the-land, Shaw nevertheless opted to depart further west, choosing to avoid participation in the likely upcoming chaos between Texans and their Mexican overlords.

Thus, Shaw entered into the Californian borderlands whereafter he set about establishing himself a suitable income, using slave labor and his remaining initial cash from his kin to open up the aptly named Shaw Ranch. In time, Shaw understood that leaving Texas had only delayed his participation in the struggles against Mexico, as the Californian anglo minority rose against the Governor of Alta California. Although hesitate to involve himself, for fear of reprisal, Shaw nevertheless decided to throw his support behind his fellow pioneers, hoping that his backing would secure greater fortunes and that perhaps the obviously unjust ban against slavery would be repealed. His primary contribution rested on financial backing and writing a few letters supporting this moral ousting of Mexican tyranny.

As 1845 approaches, Shaw has grown more vocal about his ideals, perhaps hoping to build himself a following and prove his kin proud, while filling his pockets with the sweet fruits of forced labor.
 
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