Franklin Underwood

Early Life & Childhood

Franklin "Frank" Petronius Underwood was born in 1875 in the Capitoline town of Meridius, west of Philadelphia. His father, Hiram Underwood, moved from Anglica in 1868 and married the mayor's daughter, Julia Petronius. Hiram served as a sergeant in the 17th Anglican Division during the Great War, and he saw action at the 2nd Battle of Hendaling. Being an outsider to the Capitoline elite, Hiram was excluded from most corporate jobs, but he found work as a sales clerk for a local general store, and he was able to provide a modest upbringing for his family.

Frank Underwood was born as the 3rd of 8 children, and the eldest male child. From a young age, he was known for his cool temperament and reserved demeanor. Often, he was seen reading books during yard time at school. His mother Julia came from a locally prominent family, and sought to bring Frank into the world of local politics. However, his Anglican father pushed Frank to go to trade school and pursue a career in business.

In 1897, Frank graduated from Aberg University in Anglica, one of the best business schools in the country. From there, Frank moved to New Yorkshire to pursue a career as a shipping clerk. In 1898, he married his longtime girlfriend from Aberg, Claire Hale. However, it wasn't long before Frank became enamored with New Yorkshire city politics, and he ran for city council in 1901, where he served for 8 consecutive terms.

Early Political Career

However, in 1909, his mother Julia became quite ill, and Frank moved back to Meridius to help his aging father care for her. While he was in Meridius, he met many of the local elite who came to visit his mother, and quickly developed many political relationships. In 1912, a year after his mother passed, Frank joined the Federalist Party and moved to Philadelphia, finally living in the seat of Federal power. In 1913, Frank was tapped to run for Capitoline's Senate seat, and he was defeated by incumbent Marcus Philonius, a prominent Philadelphia native. However, in 1914, Philonius retired, paving the way for Frank to win the Capitoline seat by a substantial margin. Frank served in the Senate for 16 years before running for President in 1930.

Presidency

In the 1930 election, Frank ran against Anglican Unionist Jack Lancashire and Westlian Farmer-Laborist Bull Dinklage. Winning critical support from Mason, Columbia, and of course his home state of Capitoline, Frank edged out his competitors by a sizeable margin.

As president, Frank has undertaken considerable efforts to industrialize and modernize the mostly agrarian nation. His famous 1934 Capitoline Development Plan was applauded by Senators and Governors from multiple states who saw it as an important trial in what will later be a concerted national effort to eliminate rampant unemployment and place the Federal Republic in a very strong position internationally. Frank also consolidated the ailing Federalist Party with the upstart Conservative Party, forming the Federal-Conservative Party.