Who Would Make a Good Warlord?

[Adm.Lee]

Originally Posted by Rainbow Six

A charismatic university professor perhaps? Possibly one who has studied / taught certain periods of history that may have given them some knowledge / insight that may prove useful in the T2K World? For example, someone who is a subject matter expert on the medieval World may attempt to use their knowledge to recreate some sort of feudal State with themselves at its centre?

If not a professor, a university president/chancellor/provost/whatever-- someone used to holding power, who's got some cachet in the community outside the university, perhaps as a former professor or judge.

Heck, combine it with politician-- a former mayor or governor, now univ. professor/president. I think most US states and cities might have a law prohibiting too many back-to-back terms as chief executive, so a "retirement" to State U., located in the capitol, might be a nice way for Popular Governor X. to sit out the four-year term of his handpicked successor (or opposite party opponent) in the Governor's Mansion.

I don't know of anyone like this in the '90s, but Ohio's Gov. Jim Rhodes was governor for 2 terms, sat out the 1971-75 term and returned to the Statehouse 1975-83, since the law was "no more than 2 consecutive terms as governor". He ran again in 1986 for a 5th term, but lost. He wasn't a university president in between, but someone else could have done it. Someone with that kind of longevity would have a lot of influence over state office-holders, local politicians, and even police and militia appointments.

Woodrow Wilson went from Princeton Univ. president to NJ governor to US President.

Alternately, cities don't usually have such restrictions, so a mayor who had been re-elected over and over could have deep roots into patronage and power, to become a warlord.