Frederich Gruber

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State Portrait of Premier Gruber, 2061

**Frederich Willem Gruber** (2001-2089) was a Prussian politician who served as the fourth Premier of Neo-Europe from 2061 to 2064.

## Early Life

Frederich Gruber was born in Vienna, then Austria, in 2001 to a working-class family of ethnic Austrians; **Willem** (1959-2053), a construction worker, and **Anna,** nee Kurtz, (1965-2062). Through his father, Gruber had an older half-brother, **Sebastian** (1995-2094), who would see a career in professional photography.

## Musician Days

Gruber would pass school with few qualifications, and throughout his 20s was in a semi-professional band known as *Gewitter;* he played the guitar and occaisionally provided vocals. This was accompanied by him gaining several rather mundane jobs, none of which lasted long, to support this career. The Coronavirus Pandemic also played a part in his early woes and limited his band's impact. Gewitter saw some progress in the 2030s, including the release of two studio albums but broke up in 2038 following disagreements in the group. Two of the band's members, Ralf Zundalt and Florian Durmsen, singer and pianist-lyricist respectively, soon established the new band **Furblitz**, which saw more mainstream success.

## Entering Politics

Like many Austrians, he was unhappy with the way the country was governed after the collapse of the EU and suffered the national embarrassment when Romo-fascist Italy invaded. Just prior to the invasion, he was elected to Austria's Federal Council as an independent - a risk he took due to his popularity in his current town. Eventually, he rose to the government where he negociated Austria's position with Anglo-Germany and formalised the alliance against Nuovo-Romia, which helped Austria integrate with Anglo-Germany soon after. As a gesture of loyalty, he joined the Optimatium party.

For a time, he became a member of Prussia's Regional Assembly and even attempted to become Governor in 2052, although he did not succeed.

## Premiership

Gruber became Premier by default following the resignation of his predecessor, Isaac Powell. His premiership began with controversy when his former bandmates, now part of the band Furblitz, performed at his first public speech, which many saw Gruber as abusing his position by having them perform.

Gruber's flamboyant and jokey attitude grew popular with the cabinet and Neo-Europe as a whole. In addition, he had a good relationship with Nordican President Maja Öberg.

### Sexual Assault Allegation

Two of his female staff came forward in 2063, claiming Gruber had sexually abused them. Although denying the charges, the Emperor grew frustrated. The allegations saw his political career fall apart and support was, overall, lost for him.

### Resignation

Unable to take the humiliation due to the allegations any more, Gruber resigned in April 2064 with immediate effect. The Emperor pressed his resignation, reportedly insisting him to 'resign, otherwise I will end your career myself'. Emperor Wolfgang selected Health Minister Lloyd Rothschild as Premier.

## Later Life

Understandably, Gruber tried to remain out of the public eye following his Premiership, and was not granted the benefits seen in previous Premiers.

### Further Allegations

Following his resignation, several women came forward and accused Gruber of 'taking advantage of his positions.' The allegations spread from his time as a musician in the 2020s and 30s, until his Premiership in the 2060s. Some of the women involved were as young as twelve at the time of the supposed assauit.Again, Gruber denied them all, although Emperor Wolfgang ordered a trial to take place.

### Court Trial and Imprisonment

In the early 2070s, a formal trial and inquiry began into Gruber's activities. During this, more women came forward. He was described as a 'remorseless sexual predator' and sentenced to a lifetime's imprisonment for his actions.

## Death

Gruber died in prison on 16 November 2089 of a disease relating to malnutrition. Unlike previous Premiers, he was not given a state funeral, and new Emperor Franz Von Stuttgart barely acknowledged his death.

## Personal Life

Gruber was married twice; first to fellow Austrian **Eva Wagner** (2003-2109) from 2029 to 2034. They had a son, **Mark** (2032-2140)**.** Next, he married the Briton **Claire Bradbury** (2024-2113) from 2047 until 2066, with the (later proven) allegations the reason for their divorce. They had twin daughters, **Klara** (2049-2162) and **Agnes** (2049-2165).

## Legacy

Due to his actions, he is not remembered fondly, although he demonstrated a clear ability to run the nation.