Sam Dethier

== Sam Dethier ==
Sam Dethier was an American politician, attorney, businessman, and activist who became a Republican senator for the Appalachian Republic. Dethier pursued business and civics, though was more successful with the latter. Dethier began a business specialized in website creation and internet advertising, although, his plans fell short of success. He later became a public defender, but stayed away from politics until after the Great Collapse.
== Early Life ==
Sam Dethier, born 15 October 1970 in Roanoke, Virginia, was raised in an upper middle-class family. His father was an attorney, and because he was the only male heir with sisters, his father pushed for him to follow his footsteps in law. Dethier wasn't interested throughout his childhood. However, through High School, Dethier did take an interest in political science, civics, and football.
After graduating High School, Dethier and a friend predicted the explosive potential of computer technology. The internet was not a public service at the time, though, and the two, lacking complex programming experience, didn't have a product to monetize. Dethier began to study in university, majoring in business. He graduated in 1993 from Ohio State University.
Following graduation and the newfound world wide web, Dethier and his friend began their business once again. In 1994, they started an advertising company, specializing in website creation and internet advertising. However, their business didn't generate traction. Even after three years, the internet wasn't big enough yet to allow for their model to work. Eventually, the two parted ways and gave up on the project.
== Career in Law ==
Dethier married in the 1990s, and accepted an offer from his father to attain his master's degree through his own funding. He did so, gaining his law degree. Going against his father's wishes again, he became a public defender, seeing it as the most rewarding line of work for him. Dethier and his wife moved to a suburb of Pittsburgh, and had a child. He continued his law practice for years into the 2000s. HIs father unexpectedly died, and this pushed Dethier to satisfy what he believed to be a legacy left to him.
Beginning to delve more into politics, Dethier refused to run for any positions, but became a prominent activist in Pennsylvania, advocating for criminal reform, specifically in relation to incarceration and those in poverty. Gaining public traction, Dethier began to seriously consider running for state senate. He quietly prepared for this in 2017, but his plans were put on hold with the outbreak of the Jinanvirus. As conditions worsened, Dethier was forced to give these plans up and protect his family.
After the Harrisburg Committee was drafted, Dethier became a public servant in the Pittsburgh area, which was shattered. He continued until the Committee was destroyed, and Pittsburgh was captured by Seaboard. Dethier was opposed, but was reassigned again as a lawyer in the controlled territory, where he believed his skills would be used best to fight for those wrongly convicted under the new occupation.
== Senator for the Appalachian Republic ==
Dethier became a city council leader for Pittsburgh, but his position was left in jeopardy when Seaboard was defeated and the city was retaken by American forces. He coordinated with Colonel Buck, who was the first to seriously propose that he represent the district once the capital was recovered. After the Second Battle of Harrisburg, Dethier did just that, and took a seat as a moderate, Republican senator.