| Don Patridge | |
| Fictional Character | |
| Southern Victory POD: September 10, 1862 | |
| Appearance(s): | The Victorious Opposition through In at the Death |
| Type of Appearance: | Direct |
| Nationality: | Confederate States |
| Date of Birth: | Late 19th century |
| Occupation: | Politician |
| Political Party: | Freedom Party |
| Political Office(s): | Confederate States Senator from Tennessee, Vice President of the Confederate States, President of the Confederate States |
Donald "Don" Partridge was a Freedom Party politician, a former Senator from Tennessee, Vice President of the Confederate States of America from 1940 to 1944 during the Featherston Administration, and the last President of the Confederate States in 1944, from the 7th to the 14th days of July, at the end of the Second Great War.
Partridge replaced the disgraced Willy Knight as Vice President after the latter's coup attempt was crushed by Jake Featherston in December 1938. Partridge was considered by most commentators (and by Featherston himself) to be a lightweight, a nobody, and harmless in regards to political ambition, which suited Featherston fine. The Vice President spent most of his time with well-to-do ladies or telling bad jokes to Featherston, as his function as President of the Senate was very minimal.
Following the death of Jake Featherston in 1944, Partridge became the 14th and last President of the Confederate States. He traveled to Pineville, North Carolina to sign his country's unconditional surrender, which was accepted by General Irving Morrell on behalf of the United States, and both the office of President and the Confederacy itself ceased to exist. Patridge demonstrated how much of a light-weight he truly was when he attempted to get back to the business of running the CSA after signing the surrender, even though the papers he'd read and signed made it clear that the CSA no longer existed.
Partridge was taken into custody and held for possible war crimes charges, although Morrell consoled him by saying that if history remembered him, it would be as the man who brought peace.
Literary Comment
Partridge's name is similar to that of OTL U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle, who served 1989-1993 under President George H. W. Bush. (Partridge and quail are two branches of the Phasianidae family of birds.) Quayle was also frequently derided for being a lightweight. The penchant for bad jokes may have been borrowed from another US VP, Thomas R. Marshall, who served 1913-1921 under Woodrow Wilson.
See Also
- Karl Dönitz, German admiral and last head of state of Nazi Germany. Like Partridge, he inherited the mantle after most of Germany was under Allied occupation and the country was on the verge of collapse and surrender.
| Political offices (Southern Victory) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by A period of vacancy, preceded by Willy Knight |
Vice President of the Confederate States 1940-1944 |
Succeeded by None |
| Preceded by Jake Featherston |
President of the Confederate States July 7-14, 1944 |
Succeeded by None; Martial Law Administered by the United States Army |
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