The old families of the South like to characterize the 'new men' of the North as rude, tasteless, overambitious boors who came from nothing yet hate the very lower classes they hailed from anyway. How unfortunate then, that the Hogg family that rules Mississippi should fit that exact bill! Originally poor Scots-Irish laborers who had toiled alongside black slaves under the Hambright planter family of Georgia since the days of their forefather Jack Hogg (that's to say the 1730s), Hogg patriarchs have always shown an insatiable ambition to rise higher and higher in the social hierarchy of the American Deep South, to the point where nobody could look down on them ever again. The first Hogg to try to realize this ambition was Jack's son Robert, who fought as part of a Southern guerrilla band following the fall of Charleston and lost a leg in battle with the Loyalists. He was able to use his back pay & plunder to buy himself a small farm west of the Appalachians, but naturally this was far from enough for the Hoggs. Due to Robert's injury, it fell to his sons Joseph and Arthur to further advance the Hogg name when the Whiskey Rebellion came around; they helped tar & feather several tax collectors before joining the rebels in hopes of winning fame and getting to loot Eastern cities, but were less successful than their old man to put it mildly - word of Shawn Bohannon's defeat at Legionville reached their column while they were still marching through the Appalachians, and like the rest of their compatriots they fled back home before even firing a single shot. However, Joseph's son Brutus proved to be either the visionary or simply the lucky man the family needed, for he was the first Hogg to move out west to Mississippi, staked claims on highly fertile cotton-growing land, and aggressively expanded the family's lands & assets until by 1836, the Hoggs had become one of the state's wealthiest and most powerful planter family in their own right, with 150+ slaves and a loud voice in political matters...though they still have quite a ways to go in winning the respect of the more established 'Tuckahoes', who still consider them upstarts.
This little fact drives Brutus and his heirs mad to no end: becoming filthy rich planters in their own right is fine & dandy, but what they really crave is acceptance into the Old South's aristocratic elite, which is impossible so long as all they see when they look at the Wyolah Plantation is a bunch of 'red-necked parvenus' who came from dirt, lucked out and developed the gall to think that that makes them equals. That said, the behavior of Brutus and the other Hoggs doesn't exactly help on that front either; they may want the other planters to accept them, but that doesn't mean they're just going to let the older families walk over them - indeed, as far as Brutus is concerned such a show of weakness would only convince the plantocracy even further that they aren't fit to be called equals to the Rutledges, Wilsons or Drummonds - and so in true Scots-Irish tradition they are always more than happy to answer insults with insults or blows with blows, which paradoxically drives the old dynasties to hate them even more anyway as now they're coming across as 'barbaric white trash who have the nerve to strike back at their genteel natural superiors'. The Hoggs' extreme racism, even by the standards of the Deep South, and ready contempt for the other Cohees to whom they were once equal, but who they openly consider fools not half as bright and hard-working as themselves who are jealous of their triumphs, has also unsurprisingly failed to win them any friends on the opposite end of the political spectrum (though when push comes to shove, as demonstrated by the 1844 gubernatorial election said cohees still tend to grudgingly vote for the Hoggs over their more established aristocratic rivals despite their virtually-identical platforms, as at least they have had some experience of a poor white's life).
As of today, the aged Brutus Hogg still rules his family with an iron fist, and is attempting to do the same (rather less effectively) with the rest of Mississippi after winning his first term as Governor just a year ago. Though he's finally realized that the Tuckahoes will still never see him as an equal no matter what he does and knows all too well that the Cohees he once called his peers resent him for his successes, he is far too stubborn to deviate from his combative course, and has only become more bitter, cranky and vindictive as old age sets in; it isn't unreasonable to say that at this point, he genuinely loathes the Tuckahoes even though he still wants to be counted among their ranks, if not replace their position at the respected pinnacle of Southern society. As the Federalists have never bothered to set up a Mississippi branch and the Whig Party's fortunes in the state are barely worth mentioning, the state Democrats have fractured in all but name into Hogg's own 'populist faction' and a slightly more moderate 'establishment faction' led by the coastal Tuckahoe Hiram Foote, who spend most of their time & resources frustrating the populists' agenda at every possible turn and in doing so further contribute to Brutus Hogg's migraines.
Governor Brutus Hogg, MS |
Name: Brutus Hogg
Date of Birth: June 19th, 1792 (age 53)
Ethnicity: Cohee
Religion: Southern Baptist
Occupation: Gentleman
Position: Governor
Home State: Mississippi
Allegiance: USA
Faction: Democratic Party
Personality: Ornery, ill-mannered, stubbornly set in his ways, virulently racist and filled with hate for anything he can't (or doesn't care to) understand, at first glance Brutus Hogg fits the Eastern Seaboard stereotype of the 'red-necked white trash' Cohee perfectly - until one realizes that unlike most other Cohees, he is filthy rich and quite powerful. In truth, Hogg is a very bitter product of his unforgiving environment - he came from dirt, had to fight against unscrupulous fellow Cohees and the occasional arrogant planter-baron for every scrap of his fortune, and upon finally realizing the American Dream, found that not only did the Tuckahoes he once idolized held him in utter contempt for ever thinking he could be equal to them but many of the Cohees now also envied & resented him for his success. When the world hates you so much, isn't it fair to hate it right back? Brutus Hogg says 'hell yes'. He has adopted an ostentatious lifestyle - poring over as many classics as he can get his hands on, at least trying to keep up with the latest fashion and treating guests to hideously expensive feasts in his gaudy mansion, all to thumb his nose at the Tuckahoes and rub his wealth in their faces. As for the Cohees, his rage at their naked resentment of his new status (which he considers a personal betrayal) drives him to go so far as adopting the Rutledge line on slavery and publicly arguing that 'white slavery' is a good idea, and though when called out on it he's quick to pretend that he only means it's good for 'Yankees, Injuns and Papist Mexicans' to maintain public support, in the back of his mind he feels that nothing would better suit those who dared shun him for simply being more successful at life than they ever could be than the whip and chain. All this said, in his heart of hearts Brutus Hogg really does still crave the acceptance and adoration of both classes of white Southern society just as he did in his youth, even as he is slowly coming to terms with the fact that it is virtually impossible (which, as he has sometimes had the grace to admit in private, is partially his fault).
Issues:
Central Government: Weak federal government, except to defend/expand slavery
Religious relations: Active discrimination against non-Protestants
Tariffs: No tariffs
Slavery: Expansion of slavery beyond territorial & racial bounds
Immigration: Shut down immigration entirely
Military: Reliance on state militias & volunteers
Social welfare: All men must stand on their own feet
National Bank: The Bank must die
Foreign relations: Expansion for slave states |
Other Hoggs | Brutus's family:
- Prudence Hogg (née Tucker), b. 7 August 1795 (age 50). Brutus's wife and fourth sister (out of eleven children) of a former neighbor of his in backwood Georgia. A short, squat woman with messy dark brown hair, a fat round face and beady eyes. Surprisingly boisterous and jovial, even around Tuckahoe women who laugh at her and call her a 'pig with some lipstick painted on her' behind her back, and a much-needed positive influence on her children. Even her husband, whose hatred for basically everyone else is notorious, is known to deeply love her and to have fought duels for her honor with the same planter gentlemen he once aspired to follow.
Robert Hogg II: B. 15 June 1811 (age 34). Brutus's eldest son and heir-apparent. Short and pot-bellied like his mother but with a head full of dark hair, a wild black beard and dark blue eyes like his father. A simple (one could say brutish) man of simple tastes who is controlled by his instincts and passions, he doesn't care about social status nearly as much as his father or brothers and is satisfied with the simple knowledge that they're already better than the other Cohees and richer than some Tuckahoes - so what if they dislike him? No sense in stressing yourself out over what your inferiors think of you, after all. Works as an overseer under Brutus.
- Elizabeth Hogg (née Harding), b. 24 January 1817 (age 28). Youngest daughter of Henry Harding, a struggling Tuckahoe planter who held his nose and arranged her marriage to the Hogg heir in exchange for financial aid. A lithe, graceful woman with full red lips, ivory skin and silken blonde hair who'd be even more beautiful if she didn't constantly look like there's a bag of dung in front of her. Unlike her father & mother-in-law, she and Robert most definitely do not get along; she considers her husband an uncivilized simpleton and their marriage a sham, while he hates her in turn for constantly talking down to him and never ceasing to make frivolous demands for the latest luxuries.
- Cletus Hogg, b. 13 May 1836 (age 9). A huge boy, half-fat and half-muscle, with his father's dark hair & eyes. Known to be extremely aggressive and spiteful, once breaking his little brother's arm just for playing with a toy he'd discarded not two seconds earlier, and to always be on the lookout for any excuse to get into a fight.
- Linus Hogg, b. 26 July 1838 (age 7). Thin, light-haired and tall for his age, quite like his mother, but has clearly inherited his father's darker eyes. No less combative than his older brother, whom he utterly loathes and who once broke his arm for very little reason, but unlike Cletus he is capable of restraining himself when faced with only mild provocations and is genuinely protective of his younger siblings.
- Elizabeth Hogg, b. 7 March 1841 (age 4). Too young to be notable in any regard.
- Aaron Hogg, b. 17 December 1843 (age 2). Too young to be notable in any regard.
Benedict Hogg: B. 6 September 1814 (age 31). Brutus's second son. The tallest and handsomest of his brothers with perpetually finely combed dark hair, dark blue eyes and a strong, muscular figure, like his father in his youth but better. Also like his father, an aggressive social climber who is always out to hoard more money, find ways to secure the respect of the Tuckahoe class without compromising his own self-esteem, and spit on any Cohee who dares envy and resent him for his status rather than kneel to and praise him as he really wants them to. Works as a slave trader.
- Hazel Hogg (née McAllister), b. 15 November 1818 (age 27). Third daughter of a Cohee carpenter, whom Benedict tragically (in his eyes, anyway) married just before his father started heading into politics and attracting the eyes of the Tuckahoe class. A tall, skinny woman with a pencil-thin neck, hazel eyes and a mop of straw hair. A fiery woman who makes no secret of despising her husband for routinely cheating on her with their slaves and treating her as a millstone around his neck, while he in turns thinks she's just slowing down his ascent up the social ladder - after all, if they weren't married he'd be free to pursue a Tuckahoe match.
- Jane Hogg, b. 16 March 1837 (age 8). A short, skinny girl who heavily takes after her mother in appearance, but has inherited her father's dark blue eyes. A friendly, innocent child who is definitely unaware that her father is attempting to arrange a socially favorable marriage for her almost daily.
- Julian Hogg, b. 6 December 1838 (age 7). A wiry boy with his father's dark hair and his mother's hazel eyes who is known to possess a surprising amount of strength, despite his thin frame. A scrapper like his cousins Cletus and Linus, but a lot friendlier when his blood isn't up.
- Buck Hogg, b. 9 February 1841 (age 4). Too young to be notable in any regard.
William Hogg: B. 17 April 1815 (age 30). Third son of Brutus Hogg. Short and squat like his mother, with wild brown hair and a lot of stubble around his large face. Constantly aggressive and a drunkard, he has killed half a dozen men in duels (some for good reasons, such as insulting his family; others, fought for reasons like 'I didn't like the way he looked at me'), exhibited tremendous pleasure in whipping or killing slaves for the smallest infraction - something even his brothers and father disapprove of because hey, that's good money he's destroying - and has been known to smash even his brothers' faces against desks or walls for calling him a 'Toad'. Currently an infantry Captain in the US Army.
- Adriana Hogg (née Weekes), b. 9 December 1812 (age 33). Eldest daughter of a Cohee field hand working for Brutus Hogg. A lean jet-haired woman with dull gray eyes and several missing teeth. Quiet, unassuming and always careful not to upset anybody, especially not her infamously hot-tempered husband, and lives in terror of William's infamous rages (drunken or not).
- Martin Calvin Hogg, b. 28 March 1835 (age 10). A fat boy with his mother's black hair. Acts tough like his cousins, but quails when they (or anybody remotely threatening) so much as glares in his direction.
- Oliver Hogg, b. 7 September 1837 (age 8). Almost as round as his older brother, but with a mop of his father's brown hair instead. Quiet and prefers to be left alone, but more than capable of defending himself when needed, as even his violent cousins can attest to.
- Joan Hogg, b. 19 December 1840 (age 5). Too young to be notable in any regard.
- Bartimaeus Hogg, b. 4 January 1842 (age 3). Too young to be notable in any regard.
- Christina Hogg, b. 26 May 1843 (age 2). Too young to be notable in any regard.
Theresa Hogg: B. 14 June 1817 (age 28). Eldest daughter of Brutus Hogg. A rail-thin woman with stringy dark-brown hair and very large blue eyes that always seem moments from popping out of their sockets. Highly emotional and prone to mood swings, from cheerfully laughing along one moment to suddenly weeping or screaming in fury the next. Married to James McKeown, one of her father's slave overseers.
Clarence Hogg: B. 19 June 1819 (age 26). Fourth son of Brutus Hogg and the first of his triplets. Barrel-chested, muscly and of average height, with a square face and a bushy black beard. Yet another social climber with hopes of marrying a genteel planter's daughter or sister, which is why he has spurned all offers of marriage thus far. A slave trader like his second brother Benedict.
Conan Hogg: B. 19 June 1819 (age 26). Fifth son of Brutus Hogg and the second of his triplets. Barrel-chested, muscly and of average height, with a square face and a bushy black beard. Like his older brother, he too hopes to marry high someday, though he has allowed his baser passions to get the best of him and is father to several illegitimate children with both Cohee women and slaves. An accountant assigned to manage the family's paperwork.
Cyrus Hogg: B. 19 June 1819 (age 26). Fifth son of Brutus Hogg and the youngest of his triplets. Barrel-chested, muscly and of average height, with a square face and a bushy black beard. Not as concerned with social success as his brothers, he has settled down and generally advises his kin not to go through with their oft-harebrained schemes to make more money or acquire respect for the family name. Works as a slave overseer for his father, but rather unlike his brothers he doesn't approve of unnecessary cruelty.
- Leah Hogg (née Ross), b. 5 August 1824 (age 21). Daughter of Martin Ross, a former soldier who owns a small general store near the Hogg lands. A tall, lean young woman with sandy blonde hair and pale blue eyes. A prolific writer who is in contact with many women from merchant families across the South.
- Amy Hogg, b. 16 July 1842 (age 3). Too young to be notable in any regard.
Darla Hogg: B. 1 February 1822 (age 23). Second daughter and youngest child of Brutus Hogg. A short, unattractive woman with often-greasy black hair, dull eyes and an overweight figure. An avid reader (especially of romance novels) and optimstically dreams of the day when a handsome prince will sweep her off of her feet. Still unmarried. |
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