Calvin Rhinehart

The Right Honourable 	The Right Honourable
Calvin Rhinehart 	Calvin Rhinehart
Rhinehart in 1978 	Rhinehart in 1978
3rd President of EnderronElections: 1988 	3rd President of EnderronElections: 1988
In office 	In office
1 May 1988 – 21 February 1993 	1 May 1988 – 21 February 1993
Vice President 	T. K. C. WongKatelyn Mayfield
Prime Minister 	Mike BehrensHelen Vandenberg
Preceded by 	Jeremy Kenner
Succeeded by 	Katelyn Mayfield
29th Prime Minister of EnderronElections: 1970, 1974, 1978	29th Prime Minister of EnderronElections: 1970, 1974, 1978
In office 	In office
23 September 1970 – 20 May 1979 	23 September 1970 – 20 May 1979
President 	Michael StephensonJeremy Kenner
Deputy 	Jens LarssonTaylor Colbeck
Preceded by 	Alex Holthe
Succeeded by 	William Watt
34th Leader of the OppositionElections: 1962 	34th Leader of the OppositionElections: 1962
In office 	In office
16 December 1967 – 23 September 1970 	16 December 1967 – 23 September 1970
Prime Minister 	Alex Holthe
Deputy 	Jens Larsson
Preceded by 	Jens Larsson
Succeeded by 	Alex Holthe
In office 	In office
30 September 1958 – 17 October 1962 	30 September 1958 – 17 October 1962
Prime Minister 	William Oxley
Deputy 	Jens Larsson
Preceded by 	Gordon Collins
Succeeded by 	Jens Larsson
9th Leader of the Social Democratic Party 	9th Leader of the Social Democratic Party
In office 	In office
16 December 1967 – 20 May 1979 	16 December 1967 – 20 May 1979
Deputy 	Jens LarssonTaylor Colbeck
Preceded by 	Jens Larsson
Succeeded by 	William Watt
In office 	In office
30 September 1958 – 17 October 1962 	30 September 1958 – 17 October 1962
Deputy 	Jens Larsson
Preceded by 	Gordon Collins
Succeeded by 	Jens Larsson
Member of the Enderronian Parliamentfor Parkes 	Member of the Enderronian Parliamentfor Parkes
In office 	In office
16 September 1950 – 18 September 1982 	16 September 1950 – 18 September 1982
Preceded by 	Michael Deakin
Succeeded by 	Steve Hall
Personal details 	Personal details
Born 	John Calvin Georg Rhinehart29 October 1915Wentworth, Dominion of Enderron
Died 	10 August 2003 (aged 87)Wentworth, Enderron
Political party 	Social Democrats
Spouse(s) 	Judy Thompson (m. 1953)
Children 	3
Education 	St Ignatius' College, Wentworth
Alma mater 	University of Wentworth
Religion 	Lutheran
John Calvin Georg Rhinehart (/ˈraɪnhɑːrt/ ryne-hart; 29 October 1915 – 10 August 2003) was an Enderronian politician who served as Prime Minister of Enderron from 1970 to 1979 and later President of Enderron from 1988 to 1993. Prominent in Enderronian politics for nearly four decades, he is the longest-serving Social Democratic prime minister and Enderron's sixth-longest serving prime minister. He served as a Member of Parliament for Parkes from 1950 to 1982.
Rhinehart was born in Wentworth to a German Enderronian immigrant family, graduating from the University of Wentworth with a degree in economics. He joined the Social Democratic Party in 1945 while at university, and quickly became a rising star among the youth wing of the party during the early post-independence years. He entered the Enderronian Parliament at the 1950 federal election for the rural seat of Parkes in northern Janszoon. He continued his meteoritic rise through the party, becoming a member of the opposition frontbench in 1955 and leader of the party in 1958, at age 42, following the resignation of Gordon Collins. Although his youth reinvigorated a party that had already spent two decades in opposition, his relative political inexperience prevented him from making major reforms to the SDP's policies and platform, and he led the party to defeat in the 1962 election, subsequently lost the leadership to deputy Jens Larsson. He remained on the opposition frontbench and returned to the party leadership in 1967 following Larsson's resignation.
Rhinehart held much more political control in his second stint as leader. He modernised the party's platform and reformed its internal organisation to reduce the power of union officials in favour of the parliamentary caucus. He led the SDP to a landslide victory at the 1970 election and was sworn in as the 29th Prime Minister of Enderron; he was the first Social Democrat to hold the office since 1937. He went on to lead the SDP to victory twice more, in 1974 and 1978, making him the most electorally successful SDP leader in history. His nine years in office are often remembered as the "Rhinehart Decade".
The Rhinehart Government followed a highly reformist and socially progressive agenda, implementing a large number of policy changes and new programs, the most significant being the institution of official multiculturalism, universal healthcare (which would later lead to the creation of Medicare) and free tertiary education. Also under Rhinehart's premiership, military conscription was abolished, all Enderronian troops were withdrawn from Vietnam, homosexuality was decriminalised, the national public education system was reformed, the metric system was adopted, the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18, Wentworth became a self-governing metropolitan prefecture, various anti-discrimination laws were enacted, daylight saving time was introduced, and Sunday trading, drinking and censorship laws were relaxed. The Rhinehart Government was also the first to appoint non-white Enderronians to the Cabinet. During his time as prime minister, Rhinehart recorded the highest popularity rating ever measured by an opinion poll, reaching 94 percent approval in 1972.
By Rhinehart's ninth year in office, his government had become characterised as tired and in need of fresh ideas. A weaker-than-expected result at the 1978 election significantly weakened his standing in the party. In May 1979, Treasurer William Watt challenged Rhinehart for the leadership, and narrowly won. Rhinehart subsequently retired from Cabinet and sat as a backbencher for the remainder of his parliamentary career. He retired from parliament at the 1982 election after serving 32 years and 8 terms as an MP.
Rhinehart pursued a business career in the intervening period until deciding to enter the 1988 presidential race as the Social Democratic nominee. The Rhinehart–Wong SDP ticket won with an unprecedented 56.6 percent of the vote after preferences. As president, Rhinehart contributed to a number of charitable, philanthropic and conservationist causes, and served as a mediator during several international summits. He announced his resignation from the presidency in January 1993, 15 months before the expiration of his term, due to declining health. He relinquished the position a month later and was succeeded by his vice president Katelyn Mayfield, marking the end of his political career. He remained an outspoken campaigner for socially progressive policy until his death in 2003.
Rhinehart is widely regarded as one of Enderron's greatest post-colonial prime ministers along with William Oxley, and his tenure ranks highly in polls with historians and the general public. His administration enacted policies that made significant advancements in civil rights, healthcare and welfare, and has served as an inspiration for many succeeding SDP leaders.