Calvin Rhinehart

John Calvin Georg Rhinehart (/ˈraɪnhɑːrt/  ryne -hart; 29 October 1915 – 10 August 2003) was an Enderronian politician who served as Prime Minister of Enderron from 1970 to 1979 and later President of Enderron from 1988 to 1993. Prominent in Enderronian politics for nearly four decades, he is the longest-serving Social Democratic prime minister and Enderron's sixth-longest serving prime minister. He served as a Member of Parliament for Parkes from 1950 to 1982.

Rhinehart was born in Wentworth to a German Enderronian immigrant family, graduating from the University of Wentworth with a degree in economics. He joined the Social Democratic Party in 1945 while at university, and quickly became a rising star among the youth wing of the party during the early post-independence years. He entered the Enderronian Parliament at the 1950 federal election for the seat of Parkes in northern Janszoon. He continued his meteoritic rise through the party, becoming a member of the opposition frontbench in 1955 and leader of the party in 1958, at age 42, following the resignation of Gordon Collins. Although his youth reinvigorated a party that had already spent two decades in opposition, his relative political inexperience prevented him from making major reforms to the SDP's policies and platform, and he led the party to defeat in the 1962 election. He subsequently lost the leadership to deputy Jens Larsson, from who he retook the leadership in 1967.

Rhinehart led the SDP to a landslide victory at the 1970 election and was sworn in as the 29th Prime Minister of Enderron; he was the first Social Democrat to hold the office since 1937. He went on to lead the SDP to victory twice more, in 1974 and 1978, making him the most electorally successful SDP leader in history. His nine years in office are often remembered as the "Rhinehart Decade".

The Rhinehart Government followed a highly reformist and socially progressive agenda, implementing a large number of policy changes and new programs, the most significant being the institution of official multiculturalism, universal healthcare (which would later lead to the creation of Medicare) and free tertiary education. Also under Rhinehart's premiership, military conscription was abolished, all Enderronian troops were withdrawn from Vietnam, homosexuality was decriminalised, the national public education system was reformed, the metric system was adopted, the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18, various anti-discrimination laws were enacted, gerrymandering and malapportionment were abolished, and Sunday trading, drinking and censorship laws were relaxed. The Rhinehart Government was also the first to appoint non-white Enderronians to the Cabinet. During his time as prime minister, Rhinehart recorded the highest popularity rating ever measured by an opinion poll, reaching 94 percent approval in 1972.

By Rhinehart's ninth year in office, his government had become characterised as tired and in need of fresh ideas. A weaker-than-expected result at the 1978 election significantly weakened his standing in the party. In May 1979, Treasurer William Watt challenged Rhinehart for the leadership, and narrowly won. Rhinehart subsequently retired from Cabinet and sat as a backbencher for the remainder of his parliamentary career. He retired from parliament at the 1982 election after serving 32 years and 8 terms as an MP.

Rhinehart pursued a business career in the intervening period until deciding to enter the 1988 presidential race as the Social Democratic nominee. The Rhinehart–Wong SDP ticket won with an unprecedented 56.6 percent of the vote after preferences. As president, Rhinehart contributed to a number of charitable, philanthropic and conservationist causes, and served as a mediator during several international summits. He announced his resignation from the presidency in January 1993, 15 months before the expiration of his term, due to declining health. He relinquished the position a month later and was succeeded by his vice president Katelyn Mayfield, marking the end of his political career. He remained an outspoken campaigner for socially progressive policy until his death in 2003.

Rhinehart is widely regarded as one of Enderron's best post-colonial prime ministers along with William Oxley, and his tenure ranks highly in polls with historians and the general public. His administration enacted policies that made significant advancements in civil rights, healthcare and welfare, and has served as an inspiration for many succeeding SDP leaders.