Rolf Wilhelm Klein

Rolf Wilhelm Klein or as he was better known, "Will" Young, (September 13, 1931 – present) is a notable businessman in Louisianne and political figure, father of First-President Jean-François Young. Klein has been involved in the financial and stock-markets of Louisianne since he began his career in the 1950's. He has influenced the course of companies, including Credit Louisiannais, Air Louisianne and Petrol Louisiannais, SA, as well as Metropolitan Moving Pictures.

History

Rolf Wilhelm Klein was born in Salzgitter, Braunschweig, part of the Holy Roman Empire, September 13, 1931. His father, Johann Rolf Klein had been working since the end of the First Great War to earn enough money to move his family to the New World, far away from tumultuous Europe, where even in 1931, he could feel another war coming.

Rolf and his family voyaged across the Atlantic in 1934, first settling in Boston, Massachussets Bay. His father decided that to fit in better with locals he would change the family's name and they became the Youngs, an English translation of the family's name in German. Until the age of 10 Rolf and his family lived ih a small apartment in Boston's highly unsanitary North End. His father had established himself as a liquor merchant and in 1941 with the war with Germany, anti-teutonic sentiment was running high.

A business opportunity presented itself and Johann Rolf Klein, or J.R. as he had come to be known in the English world moved his family westward, to Florissant, a northern borough of Saint-Louis. It was here in Louisianne that his business took off. By the time Rolf Wilhelm, or "Willie" as his friends and family called him, had reached majority, his father was a business owner of liquor, cheese and other comestible distribution companies, and had founded Chouteau-Laclede Bank.

J.R. had wanted to attend schools of higher learning but doors were closed to him at the time. He opened these doors with his deep pockets, greasing the wheels of Harvard's admissions department to admit a WASP to their hallowed halls.

Will was admitted, and while he did not excel in his schoolwork, he was a good student and always earned passing marks. Recognizing his abilities and strengths, Will quickly pushed himself to become a leader among the students, and quickly garnered support, though any slight he felt was quickly chalked up to his ancestry, something that would affect his entire life.

Shortly after his graduation from Harvard he married Marie-Alphonse Colnet, daughter of the mayor of Saint-Louis, and began his family.

Business Dealings

Young made significant earnings in his dealings with the stock markets of the North American League and Louisianne as a stock and commodity speculator, and as a property baron. Young made significant earnings through wide-reaching investment, being involved in several companies at once. Although he never started a company from scratch, Young showed shrewd discernment as he bought an sold companies in his early career. When Fortune magazine published its listing of the richest people in North America, he figured between in the FK£20 - FK£40 million band, making him one of top 500 richest people in North America.

Early Ventures

As a bank examiner under the Prefectoral government Young became aware of efforts of a competing bank to purchase his father's Chouteau-Laclede Bank, and with a generous loan he purchased the bank at the young age of 25 in 1957, and became one of the youngest bank presidents to date.

Young also participated eagerly in land speculation in and around Paris-sur-Mizouri and has made significant profit as the capital has expanded exponentially. Some detractors have suggested that Young has influenced the development corridors of transit-lines, train lines and higways to bring the most fruition to his investments in Colignève and Ecotay.

He was hired as a consultant to Credit Louisiannais during a troubled period in the mid-50's where he helped the then ailing company to restructure themselves toward profitability.

Louisiannan Bourse

In 1963, he joined the prominent Louisiannan stock brokerage firm of Hubert, Rousseau and Vidal where he quickly learned the ins and outs of the Louisiannan and Commonwealth exchanges. While legal at the time, he was involved with activities such as market manipulation that are now illegal. In 1968 he established his own investment company and became a multi-millionaire in the bull market of the 1980's and 1990's.

Liquor importing, movie production, property

JR Young's Hannover Traders had turned a tidy business at the end of Prohibition, helping the North American League reacquire its taste for the alcohols of Europe, Louisianne and New Francy. As Will Young took the helm he began to further direct sales, bringing in exclusive contracts with distilleries the world-over, serving the NAL, Louisianne and Tejas.

Using the profits from these sales, Young went on to invest in property, collaborating with Roberto Redford on the rehabilitation of several ski resorts in Oregon along ecotopic lines.

Through Roberto Redford, Will Young came into contact with the film industry where he successfully reorganized and refinanced several ailing studios, including Metropolitan Moving Pictures. Some would suggest that Young eagerly worked with the industry because of the volume of beautiful women involved with it. Young worked with film studios in France, the Federated Kingdoms, Oregon and Alta California.

Liking the business so much he bought out ailing Film Box Office, a specialist film company that focused on cheaply produced Babiche films, which were poorly viewed at the time. Gaining support for the films from investors he proceed to purchase the North American arm of Pathé, Pathé Exchange, through which he was able to market Babiche and other films to all of North America. He moved to Atlanta, Jacobia while his family remained in Louisianne. It was here that he was rumored to have the bulk of his affairs.

Political Life

Under Marc-Albert Mitterand's Administration Young was appointed to correct corruption within the Securities and Exchanges of Louisianne, on of the sole acts where Mitterand worked to reduce corruption, rather than foster it.

In 1995 he was asked to serve as the Ambassador to Kemr from Louisianne, where he served until the end of the Mitterand administration. Even while serving he became increasingly at odds with Mitterand's Foreign Policy and even his domestic policy.

Conspiracy Theorists have suggested that his contacts in Tejas helped remove Mitterand from office.

Ambitions for High-Office for his Family

Will Young has been deeply controversial in Louisiannan politics as he has been a member of the "Old Guard" of the P.R.L. and the newer Free Republicans. As Young became more and more disaffected with the politics of the P.R.L. he secretely sought out members of the Free Republicans who would be able to support him in his defection, and in an CCXVI (1999) a mere two years before Mitterand's death.

He campaigned heavily behind the scenes during his son's campaigns for both Prefect and First-President. It is unclear how much time and money was spent in these efforts, but it is obvious that they were effective.