Franz Bergmeister

Character in the USE Universe

Franz Bergmeister was a human politician in the United States of Earth (USE) government in the 23rd century. He served as President of Earth from 2200 to 2210.

Early Life
Franz Bergmeister was born in 2162 in the German Federal Republic. He showed an aptitude for economics at school and considered working in the academic field before deciding to enter the armed forces. He joined the military at eighteen and served as both an NCO and a commissioned officer in the 1st Planetary Guard. He entered global politics in 2197 as a Planetary Senator representing the German Federal Republic. in 2200 he was elected President of Earth, making him the youngest President elected in USE history at 38 years of age.

President of Earth 2200 - 2210
Bergmeister presided over a crucial period in USE history as the interstellar exploration and expansion program of the USE Navy began in earnest. He authorized the initial expansion of star bases into surrounding star systems and the development of orbital mining & research facilities in those extra-solar territories.

In October 2209, the Bergmeister Administration was the USE Government at the time of 'First Contact' - the popular term used to describe the discovery of the Obadin civilization in the Mius system. Bergmeister authorized the formation of the WATCHTOWER program under the Science Division of the USE Navy, which established its first observation post above Mius II to study Obadin civilizational development.

Later Life
In 2210, Bergmeister was defeated in the Presidential elections by Daniela de la Vega. Bergmeister elected to retire from public service and went into the private sector as an interstellar security advisor for off-world corporations.

Bergmeister later retired back to his native Germany, whereupon he was the author of several books on USE military history. He died in 2267 at the age of 105.