William Bascher

The Cuirassiers

William "Will" Bascher (born May 12th, 189X) is a councilman on Chicago's City Council during the year 192X. William was elected despite his young age due to his bold, outspoken disapproval of Mayor Hadewich's Streetsweeper program. He is popular among his constituents for his warmth, friendliness, and willingness to talk to the common people -- and popular among Chicago's gangs for his opposition to Hadewich. He is currently in a romantic relationship with La Famiglia Nostra's Donna, Claudia Calabrese. Since his kidnapping at the hands of a criminal gang, he wears an eyepatch over his left eye.

## Personality

William Bascher has often been compared to a Golden Retriever. He's a handsome, friendly, charming, compassionate, All-American man. His enthusiasm for his work is matched only by his great sociability and kindness. Bascher is a politician who listens carefully and personally to the needs of his constituents and promises real change in City Hall. He objected to the Streetsweeper program on moral grounds, believing that the Sweepers were little more than hired mercenaries and assassins harming citizens without due process. In a time where few people in City Hall had the guts to stand up to Hadewich, Bascher risked his career by taking a moral stance opposed to the domineering mayor.

William does, however, have his dark side. His moral opposition to the Streetsweepers did not turn out to be so moral after all. Bascher accepted campaign donations from various criminal groups around Chicago, including the infamous Calabrese Family. It appears that the politician's morals are far more flexible than he may have initially lead the people to believe. He has more than just a passing association with La Famiglia Nostra and the Calabreses.

William also has a temper -- though he's usually able to keep it well under control. Most of the time, he's perfectly friendly and kind. However, he can turn brutal and violent on a dime if the circumstances call for it.

## Early Life

William Bascher was the son of French immigrants who settled in New England. Though his parents hailed from France, Bascher was born on U.S. soil and remains a United States citizen. His parents struggled heavily with poverty after arriving in the United States, however, and could not support their new son. They ended up losing their apartment and found themselves in a Catholic Church-run group home, where the nuns wasted no time in confiscating their baby and placing William into foster care. It was common during this time for babies and newborns to be taken from what were deemed to be "unfit" (usually impoverished or unwed) parents and placed for adoption.

Wealthy, infertile couples were often willing to pay exorbitant adoption fees for attractive children -- and this is exactly what happened to Will. A fair-haired, intelligent, and handsome young boy, he was quickly placed into the home of an upper-middle-class couple who paid several hundred for the right to raise him. His new mother was a homemaker and his father was a middle-rung elected official in their town's city hall. Will's life saw a great deal of improvement under his new family and young William developed an interest in politics after watching his adoptive father.

Will did well in school and ended up attending the University of Chicago, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in French. Upon graduating, he managed to secure an entry-level clerk position in Chicago City Hall. However, Will's ambitions were far greater than just being sitting behind a desk. He was determined to hold elected office before he turned thirty.

## Political Career (Season 1 & 1.5)

Seeing an opportunity to make a name for himself and assert his character upon the Chicago political stage, William began to take an outspoken position against Mayor Hadewich and his notorious Streetsweeper force. He would regularly appear at town hall meetings to express dissent against the brutal policing tactics employed by the Sweepers. The Streetsweepers were insanely unpopular and Will's willingness to speak out against them quickly earned him notoriety.

Unfortunately for Will, few donors were willing to back such an extremely young and untested candidate. Will was forced to look for funding in unexpected and, frankly, shady locations. Will's outspoken opposition to the Streetsweepers brought him attention from Chicago's criminal underbelly. Many criminal organizations were all too happy to support a candidate who got the Streetsweepers off their backs, including La Famiglia Nostra.

Funding from these less-than-reputable sources managed to propel Will into a seat on the Chicago City Council. He became one of the youngest city councilmen in Chicago's history, landing the position in his mid-twenties. Many were skeptical of Will due to his young age, but Will quickly proved himself to be a hard worker willing to listen closely to his constituents and promote change based on the needs of the people in his districts. His charm, genuine compassion, and friendliness added to his popularity.

The sources of Will's funding would come back to haunt him, however. In 192X, John Hadewich was suddenly and unexpectedly assassinated. Prior to Hadewich's death, La Famiglia Nostra had been laying low and trying to recoup their losses from the war against the Streetsweepers. With Hadewich's end, however, they could re-emerge and re-establish themselves as a dominant player in the Chicago underworld. Claudia Calabrese, seeking to exploit the death to further her own power, requested a meeting with William to discuss the future of his political career. She pushed him toward considering a mayoral run, [promising to help fund his campaign.

From that point, Will fell into the orbit of the Calabreses. He became quickly enamored with Claudia, despite their eighteen-year difference in age, and the two began a romantic relationship. Will became embroiled in the escalating conflict between the Calabrese Family and the Endrizzi family when he successfully defended Claudia from an attack by Eduardo Endrizzi.

Will's association with the Calabreses earned some ire from other criminal organizations, however. Shortly after Claudia and Will began their relationship, he was suddenly kidnapped from his home and held for ransom. While held hostage, Will was mutilated -- suffering irreparable damage to his left eye. Will managed to convince his captors to release him in part by paying his own ransom.

Realizing that crime was about to explode in Chicago and wanting to assist Claudia in any way possible, Will traveled home to New England to recruit soldiers for Claudia's side of the gang war. He made contact with a group of downtrodden, impoverished, and homeless immigrant laborers in New England, most of them French like him. Promising shelter and employment, he recruited these men as soldiers and dubbed them his Cuirassiers.

William and his Cuirassiers proved instrumental in the war against the Steel Chip Gang and the Endrizzis, providing La Famiglia Nostra with direly needed martial support. As a result of his efforts, Claudia made him an underboss in her organization.

All the while, Will kept his criminal life strictly segregated from his work at City Hall -- never allowing the two to overlap. He and Claudia continued their romantic relationship in secret as Will prepared for his upcoming mayoral campaign against Leslie Dulles, the interim mayor and Hadewich's former Chief of Staff. Unfortunately, the couple ran into some trouble when photos of their romantic escapades somehow made their way into the Chicago Tribune.

## Related Pages

* Claudia Calabrese
* La Famiglia Nostra