Storm Whitson

Storm Whitson (b c 1760) was a senior citizen of the United States of Atlantis. His public life spanned from the Atlantean War of Independence, when he marched with Victor Radcliff, through the aftermath of the Atlantean Servile Insurrection.

When the United States acquired the state of Gernika, formerly Spanish Atlantis, Whitson moved there and made his fortune as a planter. Like so many men of means throughout Atlantis's territory, he segued his wealth into a political career and represented Gernika at the Atlantean Senate. A long-lived and impressively vigorous man, Whitson remained a force on the Senate floor well into his 90s.

Despite having been a revolutionary in his youth, later in life Whitson became a firmly traditional man. He opposed anything which would reform or upset established Atlantean ways of life. He was particularly resistant to the abolition of slavery even after the Atlantean army was defeated in the Servile Insurrection. Needless to say, he strongly opposed the Slug Hollow Accords and was horrified when the majority of the Gernika delegation voted for it.

Literary Note
The unusual name of Storm (which Turtledove has used in the past for the same reason), the advanced age of the character, and the strong opposition to racial integration of Atlantean society all strongly invoke the historical US Senator Strom Thurmond.