“ | Apparently, Mr. Johns wants to run for governor, which is why he's so concerned with cleaning up the state. | „ |
—Mrs. Bush, regarding Nate Johns. |
Nate Johns is a minor, unseen character featured in Red Dead Redemption. He is a politician that eventually becomes governor of West Elizabeth.
History[]
Background[]
Nate Johns is a politician in the Commonwealth of West Elizabeth.
Johns is first referred to by Mrs. Ditkiss, who was one of two women sitting behind John in the opening titles of the game and first cutscene in "Exodus in America". She states that Nate Johns' family is "hillbilly trash that came here after the war". He is then referred to by the other woman sitting behind Marston, Mrs. Bush, who says, "it seems that money can buy voters, though".
Events of Red Dead Redemption[]
Johns' main promise is to clean up the rampant crime in the region. He is the primary reason for the increasing interference of government agents in the region.
Aside from a few references and playing a key background role in the Stranger side-mission "American Lobbyist", the player has no interaction with Nate Johns. Instead, his story is told through the Blackwater Ledger newspaper. When first mentioned, he is merely a candidate for governor.
By the time the player reaches the West Elizabeth chapter of the story, Johns has been elected governor.[1]
Epilogue[]
By 1914, Nate Johns is implicated in several scandals and is "extending his vacation in Canada", far away from West Elizabeth.[2]
Character[]
Personality[]
Little is known about Johns' true self. However, from what is heard of him, he is not above unscrupulous practices like buying votes, manipulation, and blackmail. Additionally, he appears to have no qualms with allowing the Bureau of Investigation to rid the region of outlaws by any means they see fit.
Trivia[]
- Nate Johns is referenced in the Stranger side-mission "American Lobbyist". In this stranger mission, signs of his underhanded tactics are seen by using incriminating photographs to blackmail Aldous Worthington, a proponent of a challenging candidate. It appears later through the newspaper articles in 1914 that this continued but was ultimately his downfall.
- Aldous Worthington's accusations against Johns range from "corruption and vote-rigging to extortion, kidnapping and sexual depravity." Additionally, Worthington feels that Johns' stake in local businesses and the railroads compromises Johns' ability to be a fair and just leader. Johns dismisses the claims calling Worthington a hack and his allegations as the "jealous slurs of a pitiful man desperately clinging to his career like a drowning man to a piece of wood."
- Nate's rival in the gubernatorial election, named in the second newspaper, was a politician named Archibald Atkinson from Alabama. Alongside other scandals and controversies, Atkinson's chances were ruined by his failure to enforce racial segregation, treating blacks equal to whites in many situations.
- In the DLC Liars and Cheats, there is a Horse Racing Grand Prix circuit named after him, the N. Johns Invitational. It consists of five races throughout New Austin.
- NPCs around the United States can be heard mentioning that Nate Johns is "more crooked than a dog's hind leg", which further implies his corruption.
- In Undead Nightmare, some American NPCs blame him for the undead apocalypse and claim that he is held up in the governor's building. This could also imply that he is cowardly as well, seeing his position as governor as more important than protecting and leading the people he's supposed to protect.
References[]
- ↑ In the mission And The Truth Will Set You Free, Edgar Ross mentions that "Governor Johns will be very pleased" with their clearing-out of Dutch's camp at Cochinay.
- ↑ As stated in the 1914 issue of The Blackwater Ledger.
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