Fiction:Casimir Gérard

"Nations are, fundamentally, nothing more than large collections of people. That is something which we must never forget."

- Casimir Gérard

Casimir Gérard (born 2728) is a French human politician and the current president of the French Senate. Born and raised on Paris in the 2730's and 2740's, Gérard knew a time of relative peace and prosperity in France. As his education progressed, Gérard acquired increasingly liberal views and became a self-styled leftist activist. He engaged in political causes and campaigns that interested him throughout the 2750's and 2760's, though his lack of personal charisma confined him to behind-the-scenes work like pushing papers and managing the press. Yet, his determination to continue his work despite meager rewards brought him the recognition of his peers and superiors. Eventually, in 2773, he landed a permanent position as secretary for a member of the French Senate, and in 2784, managed to quietly get himself elected Senator.

During his tenure, Gérard did little to distinguish himself. He was neither incompetent nor skilled enough to win any sort of attention, and worked mostly in line with other leftist leaders. In 2798, he was made President of the Senate on the recommendation of Prime Minister Valéry as a compromise with the liberal majority in the Senate. In private, Valéry confided that he had chosen Gérard because he was a doormat––easy to control remotely and an uninspiring leader for the leftist coalition. Through Gérard, Valéry was easily able to sway the senate from 2798 to 2802, but with the onset of the Great Xonexian Schism, he found Gérard's political views––which were strongly against President Maxime's policy of confrontation against the DCP––to be increasingly hard to contain.