Franklin Donald Rosenberg
| Order: | 16th General Moderator |
| Term of Office: | 25 March, 1931 - 16 November, 1949 |
| Predecessor: | Gwilliam Lyon MacDowell |
| Successor: | Ruth Rosenberg |
| Date of birth: | 26 July, 1889 |
| Date of death: | 16 November, 1949 |
| Place of birth: | Nieuw Haarlem, New Amsterdam, New Castreleon |
| Profession: | lawyer, rabbi, politician |
| Political Party: | Whig |
| Relgious Affiliation: | Jewish |
FDR, as he became known, was the first General Moderator of the NAL to serve more than one term. He was also the first Jewish GM. And the first (so far) to be succeeded by his own wife.
The Rosenbergs were (and are) a very prominent family in New Castreleon. The political machines of the late XIXth and early XXth centuries were excellent proving grounds for aspiring politicians, but too often they turned such into cogs of that machine. Franklin Rosenberg, on the other hand, rather than become part of a machine seized the controls. He did this by the simple expedient of insisting that the machines themselves should be the source of political reform. Whether he intended this to ultimately bring an end to the machines is a matter of speculation, but some of his old cronies never forgave him, even though he got them elected time and again.
|
Given his success, and the charisma he exhibited in public (rather than hide, he used his strong accent to great effect), it was little wonder he become Governor of New Castreleon and one of its Senators. Gwilliam Lyon MacDowell chose him for the Cabinet--first as Minister of Trade, then Foreign Secretary. He ran for and won the General Moderatorship at the end of MacDowell's term.
Continuing the policy of co-opting the Conservative Democrats' and Progressive Conservatives' agendas, Rosenberg continued in his predecessor's footsteps in creating social programs. But he accompanied this, eventually, with a military build-up as he saw the swelling Holy Roman Empire re-arm. One of the most important items he got passed through Parliament was funding for the experimental (and very expensive) TMS Thomas Jefferson, the first air carrier which would later prove so crucial in the Atlantic Air War.
Although increasingly sick, Rosenberg was the only real leader among the Whigs with a chance of winning the General Moderatorship in 1941 so his party insisted he run again. Much of the country was on edge regarding the Second Great War and the NAL's role in it, which is usually the reason given for Rosenberg's reelection. A second term took a measurable toll on his health, forcing him increasingly to rely on others. Towards that end, his wife Ruth won his old Senate seat and joined the Cabinet as "Minister Without Portfolio." In effect she was the Deputy GM, and upon his sudden death in 1949 during the last months of GW2, Parliament passed legislation delaying a General Election and confirming her in Franklin's place.
| Preceded by: Gwilliam Lyon MacDowell |
 General Moderatorship of the NAL-SLC |
Succeeded by: Ruth Rosenberg |
