Alexander Hamilton George Compton

Alexander Hamilton George Compton, 19th Duke of New York (born 11 April 2636) is a Terran politician and soldier who is the incumbent Duke of New York, and served as Minister of Defense for the Republic from 2676 to 2689. While having the dynastic name and surname Compton, he is several generations removed from the main House of Compton. He is descended from George Alexander Hamilton, the 1st Duke of New York and second son of Emperor Sebastian of the United States, just as the Compton emperors of the Terran Empire are descended directly from the American imperial line.
He has worked in the military and in the defense bureaucracy all of his adult working life, and served as Secretary of the Army in the early 2670s. Prior to government service, he was an officer in the Terran Imperial Army.
== Early life and education ==
Alexander Hamilton George Compton was born on April 11th, 2636 to Alexander George Compton, Count of Long Island, and Theresa Flannery at his parents' home in Sag Harbor, Long Island. His father was the heir to the 12th Duke of New York, who had served in the Terran Imperial Army as a field marshal and had commanded ground forces during the Cruxite War. His father had also served in the Army as a Colonel in command of a mechanized walker unit. His mother was a socialite in upper Long Island and came from a family of bankers. Alexander Hamilton George was privately tutored until the age of 16, where he attended the prestigious Choate School in Wallingford, Connecticut for college preparation. He attended Choate from 2652 to 2654.
He attended Columbia Law School at Columbia University from August 2654 to April 2656, initially aiming for a Juris Doctor degree, but he instead changed his focus to public policy and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in political science. He took a sabbatical for military service in 2656.
== Military career ==
Alexander Hamilton George Compton enlisted in the Imperial Army in July 2656, after earning his undergraduate degree. He received Army basic and infantry school training, and went through leadership courses throughout late 2656. He then began studies in January 2657 at the Military Academy at West Point, New York to earn an officer's commission. He also took studies in public policy, statistics, and systems engineering. He graduated in May 2659 with a commission as a Lieutenant and a billet as an adjutant to General Bartleby Pryce of the 10th Infantry Corps, stationed in the Cassiopeian Frontier.
In December 2660, he was promoted to Captain, and to Major in July 2661. In September 2662 he was promoted again to Lieutenant Colonel and appointed General Pryce's chief adjutant. He continued to serve in this capacity until January 2665, when he received an appointment as Director of Operations in the Army Imperial General Staff. Later that year, the Great War began and he served as an important organizing and administrative force in the Army headquarters. In 2669 he was nominated as the next Secretary of the Army. His father died in 2667 after having been recalled for field service and then dying in battle. Alexander Hamilton George acceded to the dukedom while still serving as the lead Aide-de-Camp.
== Government service ==
=== Secretary of the Army ===
The massive successes of the Imperial military in the 2660s in swiftly assaulting the Soviets and knocking them out of the war proved the value of the complex, but flexible general staff in organizing broad war plans and laying them upon field commanders for local execution. The Duke of New York was recognized and decorated for his minute detail in these plans, accounting for economic obstacles as well as geographic and logistical issues. He was the architect of the initial 2665 "blitz" into Soviet border worlds and of the strategically successful Khoz campaign. His superior nominated him in a meeting of the Imperial cabinet and war council to be the next Secretary of the Army. The incumbent Secretary, Otto von Randheim, was retiring after having been Secretary for 22 years.
Emperor Maximilian Charles I appointed his very-distant cousin Secretary of the Army on 4 July 2669. The Duke accepted immediately and departed his staff position while retaining his commission. He served in the capacity of Secretary until December 2672, being succeeded by his deputy secretary, Countess Gertrude von Witzleben. During this time, the Duke married Courtney Hollins-Rockwell, a judge in New York City. His wife would, incidentally, hold the judgeship of the Crown Court of New York in 2673 when Dr. Seilon was tried and convicted in media-engulfed criminal trials.
The Duke's tenure as Secretary of the Army saw the continued streamlining of the general staff and the civilian administrative agencies for the military. The extensive cooperation between the two led to the smooth operation of the war effort and hastened the destruction of the Soviets and the FIGN.
=== Vice Minister of War ===
After the death of Frederick Rycon in late October 2670, the vacant position of Minister of War was filled by the previous Vice Minister, Duke Rumimaro of Konoe. Due to his success in managing the expanded Army, he was appointed Vice Minister of War in December 2670. Together, Duke Konoe and the Duke of New York managed the administrative elements of the war ministry, cooperating with the general staff on war policy and material procurement to maximize the effectiveness of the Terran armed forces. While favoring the Army, he recognized the vital role of the Space and Air arms. He was appointed to the Confederate Assembly and served on its War Committee, and helped to coordinate the Terran military with that of its confederates. He organized the day-to-day running of the ministry and worked extensively with the Imperial General Staff, Allied Command Staff, and Confederated War Committee to organize the final victory in February 2675. He successfully implemented the policy of planetary evaluation and bombardment, called also the Beaumont Doctrine, expanding beyond the original suggestions of General Beaumont.
He served in this role until the end of the war. When the Confederation was reformed as the Republic in April 2675, he continued to serve as the Vice Minister of the new War ministry. With the first appropriation bill passed during the first session of the 1st Central Galactic Congress, the Ministry of Defense was created. The Duke of New York was nominated for the office of Minister of Defese on 3 February 2676. He was affirmed by Congress and appointed by Chancellor Maximilian on 6 February. He resigned his commission in the Army and became a civilian.
=== Minister of Defense ===
The Duke of New York continued his methods of statistical analysis and efficiency-oriented planning as Minister of War. He also continued the extensive working relationship with the Defense Staff. Several general officers were appointed to political and administrative positions in the Ministry, creating overlap of the institutions and streamlining areas of responsibility. He asserted, nonetheless, the civilian oversight of the military in peacetime and the overall chain of command through him as the Chancellor's chief military adviser. His ministry put into place programs to modernize and upgrade the newly-minted Central Galactic Defense Forces, while paring down its size. Between 2676 and 2678, as much as 80% of the wartime forces were gradually demobilized and discharged from military service. The Veterans Administration within the Ministry ensured ample pensions, work opportunities, and educational opportunities for retiring veterans.
The Ministry of Defense under the Duke of New York implemented an organizational structure that placed the military under astrographic high commands mapped to the administrative sectors, bringing joint forces within an area under a single regional command structure. The Duke of New York instituted major procurement programs for aerospace projects, including the Tigershark fighter-bomber and the Dreadnought class space battleship.
In late 2688, Chancellor Maximilian came under pressure to dismiss the Duke of New York, who was being openly criticized for his attempts to intercede in the wartime chain of command, and advocate continued lean-manpower policies. These criticisms compelled the Duke to tender his resignation rather than let his chief executive be subject to political invective. He resigned his office in January 2689, and was replaced by Liu Calvin.