Harrison Redford (Joan of What?)

Harrison Benjamin Redford (7 July 1816 – 8 August 1854) was a Cygnian statesman who served as the sixth Chancellor of Cygnia from 1853 until his death in 1854. He was the first Chancellor to be born after the independence of Cygnia, and at the time he was elected he was the youngest Chancellor in Cygnian history; he was shortly after surpassed by his successor and Vice Chancellor Hunter Alston after his death. Redford was born in the city of Broome, Kimberley into a recently immigrated English family of relatively modest means. He later became a lawyer, graduating from the University of Kimberley. He also joined the Liberal-Democrats, and was elected to Congressional office, serving two terms as National Assembly Member for the 18th District from 1845 to 1853, when he stepped down to take office as the new Chancellor.

After winning two elections to the National Assembly in 1844 and again in 1848, Redford decided to run for the Chancellorship in the 1852 election. He won the Liberal-Democratic nomination, running against fellow MNA Alan Russell from the 8th District in Augusta. Redford managed to secure 15 of the 24 Senate votes, and was inaugurated as the 6th Chancellor on 6 February 1853.

During his short tenure as Chancellor, Redford spearheaded the growing popular movement to make peace with the Aboriginal population of Cygnia, which at the time had few rights, if any at all, especially in the new eastern Territories. Redford wrote, introduced and pushed through Congress the Treaty of Marapikurrinya, which guaranteed the rights of Aboriginals, who were granted all the privileges of Cygnian citizenship. The Treaty is considered one of the core documents of the Cygnian state, and is celebrated as Redford's crowning achievement.

On 8 August 1854, just more than a year and six months after being inaugurated, Redford was assassinated in his office in the Chancellery by Robert Callaway, a white supremacist who detested Redford's left-leaning policies, especially when it came to dealing with Aboriginals. Redford was only 39 when he was killed, and news of his death came as a great shock to the Cygnian people. Possibly as a direct result of his death, Redford's approval ratings skyrocketed on 10 August 1854, two days after he died. Today, Redford is considered a national hero for his significant contribution to Cygnian society despite his short life, and on 8 August 1904, on the 50th anniversary of his assassination, a statue of him was unveiled by the Aboriginal community of Broome in the city's central square, which was renamed Redford Square in his honour.