User:FranDoe16/sandbox/Nate Johns

Nate Johns was an American politician and businessman. He served as the Governor of the Commonwealth of West Elizabeth from 1911 to 1914.

Early life
Little is known about Johns' early life. His family moved to West Elizabeth following the American Civil War. Throughout his political career, Johns kept close ties to the Bureau of Investigation, leading many to believe he was a former agent himself. Some accounts link Johns to a shootout between federal agents and members of the Van der Linde Gang in 1899.

Political career
In 1911, Johns announced his candidacy for governor of West Elizabeth. He defeated former Alabama businessman Archibald Atkinson in a long and bitter campaign. Johns promised to reduce crime in the region. Atkinson, a progressive, was found to have "flaunted important government regulations in several businesses his family owned and maintained." He was also accused of tax evasion and had several unpaid invoices at the time of the election. Johns handedly defeated Atkinson in the 1911 West Elizabeth gubernatorial election.

During his governorship, Johns remained close to several local businesses and the Pacific Union Railroad. A pro-business governor, Johns used his ties to business to promote the expansion of the City of Blackwater. He also made several personal investments in Blackwater businesses.

Throughout his time as governor, Johns' most notable critic was Aldous Worthington. Worthington began calling for Johns' resignation, claiming that Governor Johns was unfit to serve due to his close ties to the Pacific Union Railroad. Worthington continued to ridicule Johns, claiming that he was "corrupt".

Worthington, however, found himself in the middle of a blackmail set-up when explicit photographs of him surfaced in 1911. It is believed that these photographs were somehow given to the Johns campaign and used against Worthington to avoid any chance of him challenging Johns for the governorship.

In 1914, allegations about Johns began to surface. The Blackwater Ledger published an article linking Johns and his campaign to several vote-rigging scandals, as well as extortion, corruption and kidnapping. Before charges could be brought against him, Johns fled to Canada, abandoning the governorship.