Edward Janacek

Edward Janacek

Full Name

Sir Edward Janacek

Gender

  Male

Death date

1919 PD

Death place

Landing

Affiliation

Star Kingdom of Manticore

Service

Royal Manticoran Navy

Rank

Admiral (ret.)

Office

First Lord of the Admiralty

Family

 

  ●   Cousin(s): 

Sonja Hemphill

Sir Edward Janacek was a Manticoran citizen, an officer of the Royal Manticoran Navy, and a conservative politician.

Biography

Edward Janacek joined the Royal Manticoran Navy early in the 19th Century PD, and had reached the rank of Captain in 1844 PD, serving as Second Space Lord Bethany Havinghurst's deputy chief of staff for Intelligence. (infodump)

Janacek reached the rank of Admiral, but ended his naval career about 1890. He became the RMN's civilian head as First Lord of Admiralty prior to 1900 PD.

Admiral Janacek disliked Admiral Hamish Alexander both personally and politically. As the First Lord of Admiralty (since 1897 PD), he sent Admiral Alexander to half pay for four years. (HH4^ch.11) He also held a grudge against Honor Harrington, who he referred to as a lunatic, largely because her successes were often an embarrassment to him. Janacek was against the annexation of the Basilisk Terminus because he feared that would antagonize their neighbors. He had the picket assigned to Basilisk reduced to only a few vessels, hoping the system would eventually be abandoned. (HH1)

In 1904 PD, when the Conservative Association left the coalition government, he lost his position as First Lord of the Admirality. (HH3)

He would not regain his position until the assassination of Prime Minister Allen Summervale and the fall of the Centrist government. Once he did regain his position, he began a massive series of naval cutbacks, as well as politically motivated promotions and replacements of officers. One of those removed was Admiral Patricia Givens from the Office of Naval Intelligence, causing estimates of Haven's naval strength to be massively inaccurate. (HH9)

When Operation Thunderbolt nearly destroyed the Royal Manticoran Navy, he was correctly blamed for overstating the Manticoran edge in technology and placing incompetents in charge of ONI. He shot himself after the extent of his failures was revealed, and despite speculation that his death was very "convenient", the Landing City Police later confirmed his death as a suicide. (HH10)

Service Record

Promotions

• Captain (before 1844 PD)
• Admiral (before about 1890 PD)

Posts

• Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Office of Naval Intelligence