Joe H. Lawton is/was the President of the United States of America in the Grand Theft Auto and Bully universe.
Description[]
Joe Lawton is a middle-aged man, standing at 6'0", with short, well-kept, gray (once brown) hair, and light-blue eyes. His face bears wrinkles due to age and the stress that comes with his occupation.
In terms of clothing, he is normally seen wearing a black or gray suit with polished black shoes, and a red, black, or blue tie. Though he has glasses, he does not usually wear them.
While traveling to places with a colder climate, Joe wears a black overcoat atop of his suit, black gloves, and a red scarf.
Biography[]
Joe Lawton was born somewhere in the mid-1900's in the town of Cottonmouth. His father was George Lawton, a politician who would go on to serve as a Senator and later President of the United States. He grew up comfortably and attended some prestigious schools in his youth. Joe did mostly average in his classes but showed talent in the areas of finance and law.
Immediately after graduating high school, Joe attended the same university his father had and was able to get along relatively well with a few of the students there, making good friends in the process. His GPA was never very remarkable, but he continued to excel in subjects such as history, finance, and business. Years later, Joe reflected on his time at the college as being beneficial but criticized the university for its elitism and arrogance he encountered there.
After college, Joe joined the U.S. Air Force for a few years but did not see much action during his service. Eventually, he was given an honorable discharge after his tour and went on to pursue a career with his degrees. However, his time in the air force would motivate him to take flight lessons and earn a pilot's license.
Career[]
Prior to running for office, Joe had a brief career in the private sector with his most notable position being the C.E.O of East Sky Airlines. During that time, he made large donations to various educational institutions. He continued to serve the role after his failed bid for Lieutenant governor but ended up resigning a couple years later before he was elected State Treasurer.
Political Career[]
Joe was praised for his hard work and successes as State Treasure, leading to an easy re-election without facing any opposition. However, Joe soon became ambitious for a higher office and did not seek a third term. Instead, he announced his intentions to run for governor and was narrowly elected in a three-way race. He later won re-election by a landslide, defeating a single opponent in the general election.
As his governorship was nearing its end, his friends and family wondered whether he would seek a different office. After some consideration, he declared that he would run for the U.S. Senate to replace a retiring incumbent Senator. He ran a committed campaign for the office and managed to raise millions of dollars in donations almost immediately. In the general election, Joe faced off against the same opponent he had run against in the gubernatorial election four-years earlier and defeated them once again.
While in the Senate, Joe served as the chairmen of Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, where he oversaw large-scale investigations into major crimes committed in cities such as Los Santos and Liberty City. This included hearings over crimes supposedly linked to the Madrazo Cartel, but many witnesses did not appear and were rumored to have either fled the country or had been silenced.
Three years into his tenure in the Senate, Joe began putting together a campaign in preparation for the Presidential Election of 2004. Several media outlets had speculated him among the potential candidates, though it seemed that better-known politicians stood more of a chance. However, he became the first to announce his candidacy. Before others followed, Joe had traveled across the United States, visited at least 17 states, and delivered dozens of speeches. He also published a book titled Aspects of America which featured an examination of the different lifestyles and opinions in the country but expressed his perspective of reaching common goals.
Selecting a Vice-President[]
After winning the party's nomination, Joe was expected to select his running-mate before the convention which would be held at Maze Bank Arena in Los Santos, San Andreas. Joe's campaign promptly put together a committee to vet possible candidates, while his father joined the effort once Joe sought his advice. Despite aiming to lessen his role in the process, Lawton Sr. was considered the unofficial leader by most of the staff. Before the list could be narrowed down very far, George broke his moderate silence and highly recommended decorated General Wallace Fordham for the position.
At first, Joe was skeptical, indicating that he had never met him before and displayed concern whether he would give them any momentum. By George's continued insistence, he had a one-on-one meeting set up with the general to ask if he was interested. Upon encountering each other, Joe was brief on small talk and quickly directed the conversation to the topic on if he thought he had what it took to serve within his administration, specifically mentioning the Vice-presidency. Wallace explained that he had not anticipated that Joe would be so outright with his proposition. Respecting his perceived honesty, Wallace later accepted and was announced to be the official pick a week later.
Ultimately, their ticket won the election, successfully receiving 61 million votes and a majority of the electoral college. Joe was sworn in as the next President of the United States on January 20th, 2005. His party maintained a sizable majority in the Senate after the election but failed to fully take control the House of Representatives.
Tenure[]
At the time he took office, crime rates were high and alleged acts of terror-riddled the news headlines. In response to some of this, he signed the Jingoism Act into law in an attempt to give the authorities more leverage in preventing and combating these situations. Congress renewed the law at his request a few years later, but it did not bring about the desired effect.
Personal Life[]
Family[]
While he was C.E.O, Joe met and eventually married Stephanie Coleman. Before, she had been a lawyer in private practice. They have had three children together and she is currently the First Lady.
His father, George Lawton, previously served as the Director of the IAA, Vice-President, and President of the United States. They have always maintained a positive relationship. Recently, George's mobility has become restricted due to his age and must use a wheelchair or cane to get around.
Friends[]
Despite the two being depicted as a cooperative duo, Joe had only loosely known General Wallace Fordham before selecting him to be Vice-President. While they agree on fewer issues than he thought, Joe felt compelled to choose him for his military background, believing it would reassure the population that the government could handle crime and terrorism.
At some point before becoming President, Joe met FIB Agent Steve Haines. While they are not the closest friends, they have played golf together a few times and has him as one of his phone contacts.
Social Status[]
Throughout his life, Joe has come in contact with many influential people, however, he is mostly ignored by the media in favor of celebrity gossip. The only exception was when the Jingoism Act was enacted and renewed. He is partly grateful for the remission since he has always disliked pointless drama and tends to focus more on public issues.
Resume[]
- CEO of East Sky Airlines: (Three years)
- State Treasurer of Robada: (Two terms)
- Governor of Robada: (Two terms)
- U.S. Senator from Robada: (Four years)
- President of the United States: January 20th, 2005-present
Administration[]
| The Lawton Administration | |||
| Office | Name | Term | |
| President | Joe Lawton | 2005 - present | |
| Vice President | Wallace Fordham | 2005 - present | |
| Secretary of State | Emanuel Ballard | 2005 - present | |
| National Security Advisor | George Walsh | 2005 - 2006 | |
| Marcy Raines | 2006 - present | ||
| Chief of Staff | Alan Fraizer | 2005 - present | |
| Press Secretary | Phillip Baines | 2005 - present | |
| Personal Aide | Racheal Garner | 2005 - present | |
Trivia[]
- Joe Lawton is based on former presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Ronald Reagan.
- Joe's past occupation as a C.E.O is a reference to President Garret Walker from House of Cards.
- His wealthy upbringing is based on the early lives of George Bush Jr., John F. Kennedy, and Franklin Roosevelt.
- After getting his pilot's license, Joe bought a 5-seater Velum plane to use for vacations. However, after being elected president, he could no longer fly due to security reasons.
- Though he hardly drinks alcohol, Joe's preferred drink is gin.
- Joe's favorite beverage is Sprunk, but he drinks coffee more frequently.
- Joe owns an iFruit phone.
- He hangs a portrait of John Quincy Adams in his Oval Office as a reminder of both of them assuming office sometime after their fathers.