Andrew Mian (Bennybop)

Andrew Mian
Andrew David Mian was an American politician, general, and the 41st President of the United States from 1985-1989. He was also a United States Senator for New York from 1970-1984. He was a member of the Democratic Party.

Born in Queens, New York, Mian holds a bachelor's degree in government from Harvard University, Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from St. John's College and master's and doctorate degrees in American history from Yale University. He served in the Air Force in the Korean War between 1951-1953, and became an Air Force general in the Vietnam war between 1964-1969. In 1970, he ran for a vacant seat in the U.S. Senate in New York, defeating Republican nominee Charles Goodell by 65% to 31%. In 1984, Mian was elected the 41st President of the United States and resigned his senate seat.

Early life
Mian was born on January 14, 1932, in Queens, New York, the son of Gary Lynn Mian, a high school teacher and football coach, and Linda Mian. He graduated from Jamaica High School, Queens, New York, in 1950 and was valedictorian of his class.

Korean War career (1951-53)
In June of 1951, at the age of 19, Mian decided to inlist in the air force, already knowing how to fly a plane, a skill his father taught him. He was sent over to Korea to fight in the midst of the action. He was injured via bullet wound in 1952 and later recieved the Purple Heart award. He spent two years in Korea, returning to the United States when the war ended on July 27, 1953, at the age of 21.

Post-Korean War life, Early career, and Vietnam War time (1953-1969)
After returning from Korea, Mian decided to apply to college. Being a stellar student, he accepted into the prestigious Harvard University in Cambridge, where he majored in government, from 1954-1958. After that, he decided to study at St. John's College in Annapolis from 1958-1960, and recieved a master's degree and doctorate in American history from Yale University in New Haven, from 1960-1962.

After moving to Brooklyn, Mian decided to enter the world of politics, serving as an intern for Democratic Representative Emanuel Celler from 1962-1964. In 1963, he married an old high school girlfriend whom he'd reconnected with, named Linda Louise.

When the Americans entered the Vietnam War in August of 1964, Mian was determined to help out the Air Force he once served in. He joined the war as a General in October of 1964.

During a brief visit home in 1967, his wife became pregnant with his first son, Jack, who was born on March 4, 1968.

Over the course of his time in Vietnam, he oversaw thousands of men, and even got in on a little bit of the action himself. With his father's death in 1969 and Louise needing help raising Jack, he requested, and recieved, an honorable discharge from the military, after which he returned home to Brooklyn to help his mother with the funeral and Louise with Jack.

1970 Senate election
Seeing the state of the world upon returning home to Brooklyn, plagued by violence, racism, suicides, and poverty, and using his connections in New York and Washington D.C., he decided to run for senate. Facing a tough opponent in Republican senator Charles Goodell, Mian invoked the help of his old friend Emanuel Celler, someone who had a large sway in New York City. Goodell and the Republicans attacked Mian on his young age of 38, his lack of political experice, and his discharge from the military, claiming he should've finished his service. The attacks on his military were easily deflected, however, as Goodell not serving in the military at all was a weak spot in his campaign.

The election was held on November 3, 1970, and Mian won the election with 75.52% of the vote to Goodell's 24.48%, a blowout that neither candidate expected.

Mian's second son, Carter, was born on December 21, 1970.

Senate career (1971-1984)
Mian spent 13 years in the senate, winning another two elections in 1976 and 1982, both in a landslide. Spending over a decade in the senate, Mian formed many friendships and rivalries. One of the most notable friendships was with Delaware senator Joe Biden, who later went on to serve as President of the United States from 2021-2029. The bond came from the similarity that they were the two youngest and most liberal senators. One of his most notable rivalries was with Kansas Senator Bob Dole, who who went on to become the Republican nominee for President in 1996, losing the election to incumbent President Bill Clinton, Mian's future Vice President.

In the senate, Mian was a champion of civil rights, advocating for equality for people of color, women, and the gay community. Through these ctions, he became close friends with fellow New Yorker and civil rights activist Bernie Sanders, someone who would go on to become a United States representative, senator, and two-time Presidential candidate in the 2016 and 2020 Democratic primaries.

1984 Democratic primaries
On February 17, 1982, then President Ronald Reagan announced that he was only going to be a one-term president, citing health concerns related to Alzheimers disease. This sparked a string of Democrats announcing their bids for 1984 Presidential Election, including former Vice President Walter Mondale and Colorado senator Gary Hart. Among them was Mian. Mian was a well-respected senator, but thought that he would go nowhere in the senate due to his furhter left ideas, too progressive for other senators, and Reagan's taste. Andrew was thought to be a “no-shot” candidate, but after many surprising debate performances, he shot to the top of the polls. By May 1984, only two candidates were left: Andrew Mian and Walter Mondale. But, Mondale just couldn’t gain the traction he needed, and Mian won the nomination.

At the convention, Mian announced that Arkansas governor Bill Clinton would be his running mate, a choice made to help Mian's poll numbers in the south.

1984 presidential election
It was down to Mian and Republican nominee George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan’s vice president. The two were neck and neck in the polls until the debates. Mian performed well in the debates again, and for Bush, the election was over before election night. Mian grabbed all the swing states in the election and won by a landslide. It was a result that, again, neither candidate had seen coming.

Presidency (1985-89)
Mian and Clinton were inagurated as President and Vice President on 12:00 pm on Janurary 20, 1985. Along with their wives and children, the inaguration was attended by former Presidents Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, and Richard Nixon, along with Mian's longtime friends, Senator Joe Biden, and Burlington Mayor Bernie Sanders.

His presidency went smoothly. Despite being on the more liberal side of the spectrum, Mian was well liked by the public and the politicians. The Democrats had a super-majority in both the House and the Senate, meaning Mian's legislation had no blockages. His approval rating stayed at a solid 65-70% throughout the entirety of his presidency. The unemployment rate was at and all-time low, and the stock market was soaring. Mian brought back Dwight D. Eisenhower's 90% wealth tax, which went to pay for medicare and college tuition/student loan debts for all Americans, as well as rebuilding the middle class.

On December 3, 1987, Linda, who dealt with alcoholism for decades, died after a short, private battle with liver failure. On January 29, 1988, Mian announced that he would not seek re-election, as to spend more time with his family in the wake of this tragedy. He would however, complete his term until it was over on January 20, 1989, giving him a full year in office after his wife had passed away.

Post-presidency and death (1989-2014)
After his presidency, Mian, at the age of 57, retired to a mansion-ranch in Wisconsin, where he would spend his summers as a kid. Mian, a lifelong and die-hard Green Bay Packers fan, found it easy to fit in. Mian continued to somewhat work in politics. In 1992 and 1996, he campaigned heavily for his Vice-President Bill Clinton during Bill's successful runs for President. He did the same for Bill's Vice-President Al Gore in 2000, Senator John Kerry in 2004, and Senator/President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, aswell as campaigning for his lifelong friend Bernie Sanders in his successful run for senate in 2006.

Mian continued to attend the Presidential inagurations of his former rival George H.W. Bush, his former Vice-President Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama.

On November 27, 2014, Mian suffered a major stroke and died in his Wisconsin home at the age of 82.