Julianna Knottman

Julianna Knottman was a major political figure in the 27th century.

Early Life

Julianna Knottman grew up very outgoing and confident, with a really bright and energetic personality.

She studied law at Cydonia College, but fell out of love with it, much preferring spending time with other student activists unions and politics, often offering to the local unions her legal expertise pro-bono.

In 2585, her life was upended by the Sondeheim Coup, during which her father sent her to San Domingo, placing her in the charge of Count Cutbill to ensure her safety. The experience shook her, and while she was once seen to be Price Knottman's political heir, after this experience it was clear that their relationship would never be the same.

Family life

Shortly after moving to Eden, she met and fell for Stafford Michaelsen, a local Unions organizer. The two married in a small family affair, and Julianna was known to keep her family life very private. They welcomed their daughter Summer into the world in 2595.

Political Career

Senator

Shortly after returning from San Domingo, Julianna moved to Eden and entered politics in 2590 as a speech writer for Senator Johnston Coady (Social Democratic Party). After a successful campaign in 2590, she became his communications director.

After a decade of hard work for Senator Coady, her chance came to succeed him for the 2600 election. However, her brother Finn Knottman joining Gurava put a dent in her effort. She eventually did secure the nomination and after a busy campaign she succeeded Senator Coady in the seat that he had held for thirty years.

In the leadup to the ratification of the new Republic Constitution in 2610, Julianna campaigned on Eden for the world to remain in the Republic. She befriended House Swofford, the hereditary rulers of Eden, and attended many social events with them. She frequently worked with Senate counterpart, Jander Speck to represent Eden and she obtained a spot on the Judiciary Committee.

She was comfortably reelected in 2610 and became a much more vocal anti-war politician, often accused of being "more Gurava than SDP".

Presidential run

In the leadup to the 2620 Republic Election, Julianna began meeting with senior Gurava leadership to float the idea of a merger with the SDP. The merger was completed in 2620, and by then, her name was floated as a likely candidate for the presidency.

At the 2620 convention, she gradually won over the leadership and edged past presumed favorite and personal friend Keegan James to clinch the nomination, with Keegan as her VP. Privately, she expressed disgust at the tactics her brother Finn used to help her win the nomination.

She led a very progressive campaign, with the Sharing the Stars initiative as her flagship policy. As the campaign went on, she began to embrace publicly ideas proposed by Kasr Aleajala, which distanced her from more moderate voters. A lack of cooperation from the Valtanist Popular Party and a very powerful campaign by Vice President Wren Dando (ONX) saw her initial lead gradually crumble. While she was the favorite going into the second round, she eventually lost to Vice President Dando 48% to 52%.

Activism

Julianna disappeared from the public eye briefly after her concession speech. She reappeared on New Berlin, among protestors and strikers fighting against voter suppression. In the crackdowns by the Bunde-Schutze, she was lightly wounded.

Since this initial incident, she remained in the press near constantly, taking part in pro-democracy rallies and events and delivering guest lectures all across the Republic.

"It's not about me and my win or loss, it's about all these people being denied their voice." she said when asked about it. She returned to New Berlin over fifteen times in five years, "I'm thinking about buying an apartment there!" she joked and said that she wouldn't rest "whilst democracy was at stake".

She went missing in 2625 on her way to a speech engagement on New Berlin.

Death

In 2630, after Governor Weston's passing, Julianna's remains were found by the RFP, among the remains of many other activists.