Lauritz Christiansen
|
| ||||||||||||||||
Lauritz Henrik Christiansen (Common: Laurence Henry; High Imperial: Laurentius Henricus), also commonly known as L. H. Christiansen or Senator Christiansen was an Imperial author, politician and statesman of unknown origin, who served as the fourth and final President Pro Tempore of the Imperial Senate. His life was largely shaped by his career in politics.
Contents
Early life
Born on the 13th of the First Seed in 1733, not many details are known of Lauritz’s early life. He is suspected to have been born in either Haense, Aeldin or an entirely third continent.
Arrival in Helena
At the young age of 19, Lauritz arrived in Helena with nothing to his name. As he possessed a cunning intellect and a vast amount of knowledge, he was quickly offered a job by Vespira d’Arkent at Selm, as a tutor to her children. Here, he quickly became a close friend of Mary d’Arkent.
Senator of Helena and President Pro Tempore of the Senate
Lauritz served as the Senior Senator of Helena for 10 years and as President Pro Tempore for 8 years. He was first elected to the Senate in 1754, at the age of 21, after receiving 48% of the vote in an election with four candidates. However, due to the two available seats in Helena, his future wife, Louisa Pruvia, was also appointed to the Senate.
During his first two years of the Senate, Lauritz worked primarily on the Paddington Act, which saw to define the rights of the newly discovered Wonk race. The Act became monumental in being the first to define any rights for non-persons. Due to his youth, energy and natural aptitude for politics, he was elected as President Pro Tempore in 1756, replacing the retiring Terrence May.
His tenure as President Pro Tempore of the Senate marked one of the most effective periods of the Senate yet, setting the record for passed bills in a Session in the 1758-60 Session. He was re-elected for the Senate twice, running unopposed in 1758 and winning with 72% of the vote in the 1762 election. However, his position and the Senate were replaced with the House of Commons by the Edict of Reform of 1763, a consequence of the Edict of Resettlement of the same year. Lauritz decided to retire following the Edict, partially due to his hesitation to support the new system and due to his engagement to Winifred Halcourt, the Baroness of Artois.
Post-Presidency
Following his retirement from Imperial politics, Lauritz opened two companies: Lauritz Christiansen Solicitor-At-Law, a law firm, and Christiansen Publishing, a publishing company through which he began to publish his written works. He also began to openly criticise the House of Commons, being particularly against factionalism in Imperial politics.
Marriages
Lauritz married Louisa Pruvia in a private wedding in 1755, though the wedding is regarded as having been done by a political move to make Louisa more electable in the 1756 election. Louisa passed away in 1758, though her cause of death is unknown.
Lauritz met Winifred Halcourt, the Baroness of Artois, in 1762, after Simon Basrid had recommended a match between the two. They formally became engaged in 1763 and married on the 9th of Snow’s Maiden in 1764.
Issue
| Name | Birth | Death | Marriage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Margrethe Alexandra Lauritsen | 5th of the Deep Cold, 1756 | Alive | Unwed | Firstborn daughter and only child of Lauritz and Louisa |
| Jens Otto Lauritsen | 11th of the Grand Harvest, 1765 | Alive | Unwed | Firstborn son and twin of Edith |
| Edith Irene Lauritsen | 11th of the Grand Harvest, 1765 | Alive | Unwed | Secondborn daughter and twin of Jens |
| Francis Leon Lauritsen | 13th of the Grand Harvest, 1767 | Alive | Unwed | Secondborn son |
