Austin Tannerburg
Austin Tannerburg | |
|---|---|
 Tannerburg in in 1970 | |
| Ceannaire of Gjorka | |
| In office August 27, 1971 – November 11, 1972 | |
| Preceded by | Caelan MacRory |
| Succeeded by | Samuel MacMorrow (as President) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 11, 1941 Ratoath, Gjorka |
| Spouse(s) | Sean Purcell (m. 2013) |
| Domestic partner | Sean Purcell (1980–2013) |
| Profession | Military officer |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Gjorka |
| Branch/service | Gjorkan Ground Forces |
| Years of service | 1959–1972 |
| Rank | Major Captain |
| Battles/wars | 1971 Gjorkan coup d'état |
Austin Tannerburg (born March 11, 1941) is a former military officer who briefly was Ceannaire of Gjorka from 1971-1972 following the 1971 Gjorkan coup d'état. Tannerburg's lack of experience nearly caused his coup to collapse forcing him to ally himself with pro-democracy rebel groups promising to restore Gjorkan democracy. Despite not intending to keep his promise, the wave of popular support following his announcement, known as the Black Revolution, forced him to keep his promise and thus was the last Ceannaire.
Tannerburg was born in Ratoath to politically connected parents. His father, Eric Tannerburg, had served as the primary general for the north of Gjorka, and his mother served as Gjorkan Ambassador to Creeperopolis. Thus when Tannerburg join the army at age of 18 he rose quickly through the ranks, and by age 21 had already become a lieutenant. At the age of 26 he was appointed Major Captain for the battalions 2nd Armored Battalion and 4th Motorized Battalion in Gjorka City. Following the death of Caelan MacRory in July of 1971, Tannerburg began mobilizing his units in Gjorka City to orchestrate a coup. Given the general chaos of the situation, as MacRoy had no successor, Tannerburg was given increased autonomy and responsibilities giving him ample cover for his operations. Once the morning of August 27, 1971 he commenced the coup and was able to overthrow the transition council appointed to find a successor to MacRoy. However, due to his young age and lack of experience he was unable to capture the support of many other military units throughout Gjorka. As units across the country were organising a counter-coup, Tannerburg was forced to make allies with the pro-democracy rebel groups across the country to have a fighting chance. This alliance came at the cost of Tannerburg agreeing to return Gjorka to a democracy. While he never intended to keep this promise, he announced in a televised broadcast to the nation on September 3, 1972 his intention to restore Gjorkan democracy. Immediately following the announcement, millions flooded the streets to celebrate the announcement. This mass wave of support had the intended effect of forcing the counter-coup units to disband, but had the side effect of also forcing Tannerburg to keep his promise due to the overwhelming public support. Thus the remaining days of his presidency were spent as a ceremonial leader while the democratic transition council ran the nation. On November 11, 1972 he resigned from the presidency to make way for the new constitution and the 1972 Gjorkan presidential election. Following his presidency, he retired in obscurity with his only major announcement coming in 1980 when he publicly announced his male partner, Sean Purcell. In 2013, he and Purcell got married following the legalization of same-sex marriage, and currently live in Ratoath.
