Henry Warson

Henry Toussaint Warson (1918-1995) was a politician and former Prime Minister of Mariana. He served three terms on two occasions, and dominated politics throughout much of the 1960s. A member of the Social Democratic Party from 1939 until his death, he was one of the most important figures in postwar Marianan politics.

Early life
Warson was born in Lisbon. His father, Phlip, was the ambassador to Portugal at the time. Warson was named after his grandfather, and after Haitian militaryman Toussaint L'Ouverture.

Warson was conscripted to the Royal Guard in 1940 and was captured during the German invasion in May 1941.

He entered politics in the late 1940s and held a number of government positions before being chosen leader of the SDP for the 1957 elections.

First term as Prime Minister
The SDP received a plurality of votes, though far from enough to govern on its own. Warson proved to be a young and popular figure, his status as a wartime prisoner further endearing him to voters. Warson was forced into a government along with the Liberal Party, becoming the first Social Democrat prime minister. As prime minister, he could not achieve all he had wanted to do, as the Liberals did not support all of his proposals.

Oliver Hout, the leader of the Liberals, commanded significant power and as Finance Minister was basically a deputy prime minister.

One of his big issues he looked to tackle was deflation. In 1948 the value of the lira was at 3.9025 per U.S. dollar, but by 1957 had decreased to 2.8277. This had driven up export costs significantly, and real prices were not decreasing, which did not help cost of living.

In 1959 he began discussions to try and abolish capital punishment. This was backed by the Socialists and some Liberals, but Hout and most other members refused to do so.

As PM, he established the Intelligence Office as Mariana's intelligence agency in 1957.

The perceived divisions in the government coalition did not help Warson, especially as the Christian Democratic Union looked to take advantage and create a wedge, nearly succeeding. Warson lost out to the Centre Democrats in 1961 and was succeeded by Stefan De Vries. Warson continued in government, and was the clear opponent to De Vries in Congress. Now free of governing and a coalition, people saw the man for what he was.

Years in opposition
In October 1963 he was one of the invited guests of honor at a dinner marking King Johan II's Golden Jubilee.

Second term as Prime Minister
Warson led the SDP to a plurality of votes in 1965. This time around the Liberals decreased in seats compared to 1957 and 1961, with the Socialist Left Party gaining he made a coalition with both.

Warson visited the king and queen in 1965 and with his wife presented them with a special bound, unique book on History of Mariana in the Reign of Johan II.

Case Biafra
One of the biggest issues to his government came in 1967. He and External Affairs Minister Gerard Bergen wished to spearhead a move to back Biafran secessionists in Nigeria, following similar French actions. Word was leaked of that to the media in September 1967 and most political parties in opposition, primarily the CDU but also most Socialists opposed it. Threatened with a potential collapse of the government, he reluctantly gave up on his plans by November that year.

He would continue resenting the Socialists over this for the rest of his term.

Third term as Prime Minister
In 1969 the SDP increased in seat numbers, but still needed the governing coalition to continue. Now in a stronger position, he pushed forward to abolish capital punishment. By this time the Liberals were much weakened, and the atmosphere was different from 10 years previous, where the post-1968 society was more liberal-minded. 62 congress members voted in favor, with the further right block led by the CDU voting against.

Personal life
Warson was married to Italian-Romanian actress Loredana Barone (born 1930), a young and beautiful woman. The couple had two children, Isabella (in 1953) and James (in 1959). Lori was shot while in Roodstad in 1970. She died from complication from a lodged bullet in 1972.