PCBaller World/Bernard Henderson (Character)

Bernard Alexander "BERNHE" Henderson is the 2nd and current president of Greater Illinois and a prominent academic and economist. He's held the position of "President" since the mid 2030's, and is expected to win his next election by a landslide, continuing his term until its maximum early in the 2050's. Bernard began his political career as an academic fresh out of college, where he was made one of the many Assistant Ministers of the Economy, where his reforms and research helped Illinois manage the mass automating of its economy in a stable manner. He held his position until he was legally old enough to apply for higher office, where he was elevated by the Illinoisian bureaucracy into becoming the president. =Biography=

Early Life
President Bernard Henderson was born in 2004 to a well-off family in Chicago, Illinois, where he lived an uneventful childhood. He was diagnosed with a mild form of ADD at a young age, a fact that Dr. Henderson absolutely loathes. In fact, whenever his diagnosis is brought up on camera, President Henderson will storm off.

Education and Collapse
The American Devastation happened when Bernard was in university, resulting in the University of Illinois becoming a veritable enclave where Bernard, his class and his professors worked to maintain a decent living standard and continue their studies. Bernard jumped on this opportunity and sought out a Master's degree after he acquired his BA. By the time he finished that, the newly-formed University of Greater Illinois had inducted him into its doctoral program on a grant. After Dr. Henderson's dissertation was published, he stuck around the campus for a while longer as a state researcher until his work landed him a position on the economic committee.

Politics
During his time on the economic committee, even if just as a deputy, Dr. Henderson's theories and applications were instrumental in guiding Greater Illinois down a stable path during the automation of the economy. This granted Dr. Henderson even more connections and prestige, and he slowly built his network until he was old enough to apply for office. Despite being very young then, now-President Henderson was elected the second president of Greater Illinois in an unexpected upset. The first couple of years were spent growing and stabilizing the Illinoisian economy into what it is today while focusing more on geopolitics and technological development during the remainder of his time.

The Russian Debacle
Unlike the former president, Dr. Henderson is quite interventionist, Machiavellian and spiteful. One of the first things he did was cannibalize Russia during its death throes while implementing hardliners like Lawrence Fink, Col. Anderson and Dr. Kaminski into his cabinet while expanding the military by instituting the earlier generations of Standard Robotic Units. One of the most defining moments of this aggression towards Russia was Illinois' bombing of Moscow during the Russian collapse, where dirty bombs were used to kill as many Russians as possible in the city. This quickly earned the attention of the rest of Europe, and we all know how that panned out.

A Nation of Blood
The early years of Dr. Henderson's presidency are marked in the blood of thousands, given the implementation of his own unique doctrine for the first half of his first term. Illinois extended its iron grip around North America and began to destroy or seize opposition assets all over the New World, which was considered an affront to rightful Illinoisian dominion. Eventually, these boiled over into the old conflicts taught in history books today, especially the Illinois vs. Poland cold war.

The Present
Eventually, Illinoisian leadership became more pragmatic, as we've all seen, and milestones like the formation of the ARI and the Treaty of Chicago cemented Illinois' place as a peaceful yet very influential nation. Currently, Dr. Henderson is focused on bringing Europe to Illinois' level technologically now that they're stable, so he had Illinois join COMECON. =Public Image= Dr. Henderson is highly praised at home and by Illinoisian allies abroad for his policies. He was involved in bringing the world towards environmental balance in the Green Push, and his regime is directly responsible for curtailing Indonesia, expanding the Laser Matrix, flooding the global market with revolutionary technology, and serving as the arbiter of sorts for collective European affairs in America, and vice-versa. Therefore, while Dr. Henderson doesn't have a large cult of personality, it's still there. Think of what Trump had during his presidency, except apply it to the entire nation. Given his busy nature, Dr. Henderson hasn't had the time to pursue many awards, but he has won the Nobel Prize for his implementation of the Laser Matrix, and his contributions to the IPK have granted him their highest award. He also graduated Summa Cum Laude for all of his degrees in college.

Personal Life
Dr. Henderson is a solitary man with minimal free time, preferring to stay in his mansion for those few days he does take off. Despite his house being quite valuable, Dr. Henderson doesn't spend much money on himself. However, he is an enthusiastic literature collector and has amassed a sizeable personal library over the years. Given the fact that he's both asexual and aromantic, as confirmed by him personally, Dr. Henderson is unwed and does not have any children. He is an atheist but still respects a good debate on theology and doesn't seek to ban religion outright a la Quebec. He owns three cats as well. Regarding health, Dr. Henderson has been diagnosed with mild Autism Spectrum Disorder. Other than that, he's in optimal condition.

Quotes

 * "Name one good thing that has come out of Russia in the last thirty years. Just one thing."
 * WIP