| Willy Knight | |
| Fictional Character | |
| Southern Victory POD: September 10, 1862 | |
| Appearance(s): | Blood and Iron through Return Engagement† |
| Type of Appearance: | Direct |
| Nationality: | Confederate States |
| Date of Birth: | 1880s |
| Date of Death: | 1941 |
| Cause of Death: | Shot to death |
| Occupation: | Politician |
| Military Branch: | Confederate States Army (Great War) |
| Political Party: | Redemption League Freedom Party |
| Political Office(s): | Vice President of the Confederate States |
William "Willy" Knight (1880s-1941) was Vice President of the Confederate States of America during the first Jake Featherston Administration (served 1934-1938).
A very ambitious Texan politician and Great War veteran, Knight had designs on becoming Confederate President, founding and heading the Redemption League party which was especially strong in the Western part of the Confederacy. Since the aims and following of Knight's party were similar to those of Featherston's Freedom Party, a merger was an obvious step. As mediated in the early 1920s by the Tin Hats, itself a powerful veterans' organization, this was supposed to be a unification between two equal partners. In reality, however, Featherston outmaneuvered Knight, the Redemption League was swallowed by the Freedom Party, and Knight was left in a subordinate position
In the following years, Knight was often sidelined by Featherston. Still, he retained some public standing and public following, especially among his original power base in the west. In the lead-up to the election of 1933, Featherston saw a real chance for victory, but realized that the only way to clinch it was to give Knight the Vice President slot. While this decision initially infuriated Ferdinand Koenig, Featherston's long-standing partner and two-time running mate, Featherston convinced Koenig that he intended to give Knight no more than a powerless sinecure, and that Koenig would have far more of a real power in the new regime - and so indeed it turned out.
Initially, Knight cherished his new position as Vice President. After taking office however, Knight soon realized the limited nature of the position generally, and resented the fact that the office became even more meaningless under Featherston's regime.
When the Confederate Constitution was amended in 1938 to allow presidents to run multiple times, Knight, a patriot above all else, finally comprehended Featherston's absolutist goals for the C.S., and was frightened into action. That December, Knight ordered Freedom Party Stalwarts he'd co-opted to attack Featherston's motorcade, but they failed to kill him. Knight's role in the attack was uncovered, and he was impeached and forced to resign in short order. He was immediately arrested and secretly dispatched to Camp Dependable, Louisiana in 1939, the only white prisoner among hundreds of black rebels. After a long period in which camp commandant Jefferson Pinkard repeatedly reported to Richmond that Knight was still alive, and that the black prisoners were showing no inclination to kill him (indeed, they seemed to have developed a grudging respect for him), Ferd Koenig ordered Pinkard to execute Knight in the fall of 1941, shortly after the Second Great War started. Pinkard carried out the order promptly. He and three of his most loyal guards shot Knight in the back after luring him away from the rest of the prisoners.
Literary comment[]
The name Willy Knight is similar to the Willys-Knight brand of automobile, built in the Ohio of OTL between 1914 and 1933.
See Also[]
- Ernst Röhm, the OTL leader of the Sturmabteilung (SA, "Storm Battalion") of the Nazi Party, who was executed by Adolf Hitler when he became a threat to Hitler's power.
| Political offices (Southern Victory) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Unknown last known is Burton Mitchel |
Vice President of the Confederate States 1934-1938 |
Succeeded by A period of vacancy, then Don Partridge |
| Party political offices (Southern Victory) | ||
| Preceded by None |
Chairman of the Redemption League 1917-1921 |
Succeeded by None; Jake Featherston as Chairman of the Freedom Party |
| Preceded by Ferdinand Koenig |
Freedom Party Vice Presidential candidate 1933 (won) |
Succeeded by Don Partridge |
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