President Robert L. Booth
Encyclopedia
Robert Linus Booth is a fictional character
from the British comic strip
Judge Dredd
in 2000 AD
. He was the last President of the United States
and the man who initiated the Atomic Wars
.
, and was elected president in his own right in 2068 by rigging the vote-counting computers.
Belligerent and wanting further power, he whipped up public sentiment with the idea that the rest of the world was living off America, sent the army to seize foreign oil reserves
, assassinated a dissenting advisor, and threatened to disband the Judges
and return to trial by jury. He finally started the Atomic Wars in 2070 in response to international opposition, having convinced the population (and himself) that America's nuclear screens
could keep out retaliatory strikes. The resulting devastation of America and the world led to the Judges taking control of the country. Booth fled the White House and took shelter in the Rocky Mountains with robot armies loyal to him; after the Battle of Armaggedon in 2071, he was captured and tried for war crimes. He was sentenced by Judge Solomon
, who decreed that he should serve a 100 year term in suspended animation
, locked up in the deepest vault in Fort Knox
.
sentenced him to life working on a Kentucky farm in the Cursed Earth
.
's long-lost body, which had lain in cryogenic stasis since 2070, and ransomed it, intending to raise funds for his attempt to reconquer America and reinstate himself as leader. After capturing Dredd, he was taken hostage during Dredd's escape and was used as a human shield. This tactic failed to impress his underpaid and demoralised army, and they simply shot him, reasoning that they could always elect another president.
," and in the story "Origins
" (#1505–1519 and 1529–1535).
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the British comic strip
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
Judge Dredd
Judge Dredd
Judge Joseph Dredd is a comics character whose strip in the British science fiction anthology 2000 AD is the magazine's longest running . Dredd is an American law enforcement officer in a violent city of the future where uniformed Judges combine the powers of police, judge, jury and executioner...
in 2000 AD
2000 AD (comic)
2000 AD is a weekly British science fiction-oriented comic. As a comics anthology it serialises a number of separate stories each issue and was first published by IPC Magazines in 1977, the first issue dated 26 February. IPC then shifted the title to its Fleetway comics subsidiary which was sold...
. He was the last President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
and the man who initiated the Atomic Wars
Atomic Wars
The Atomic Wars or Great Atom War is a fictional event in the Judge Dredd universe.In 2070, the possibly psychotic President Robert L. Booth started World War III by starting a nuclear war which dragged in all the major superpowers....
.
Fictional character biography
In 2060, Booth was elected vice president, serving under President Harvisson. During Harvisson's second term he succeeded to the presidency under the terms of the 25th AmendmentTwenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution deals with succession to the Presidency and establishes procedures both for filling a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, as well as responding to Presidential disabilities...
, and was elected president in his own right in 2068 by rigging the vote-counting computers.
Belligerent and wanting further power, he whipped up public sentiment with the idea that the rest of the world was living off America, sent the army to seize foreign oil reserves
Oil reserves
The total estimated amount of oil in an oil reservoir, including both producible and non-producible oil, is called oil in place. However, because of reservoir characteristics and limitations in petroleum extraction technologies, only a fraction of this oil can be brought to the surface, and it is...
, assassinated a dissenting advisor, and threatened to disband the Judges
Judge (2000 AD)
Judge is a title held by several significant characters in the Judge Dredd series, which appears in the British comics 2000 AD and Judge Dredd Megazine...
and return to trial by jury. He finally started the Atomic Wars in 2070 in response to international opposition, having convinced the population (and himself) that America's nuclear screens
Strategic Defense Initiative
The Strategic Defense Initiative was proposed by U.S. President Ronald Reagan on March 23, 1983 to use ground and space-based systems to protect the United States from attack by strategic nuclear ballistic missiles. The initiative focused on strategic defense rather than the prior strategic...
could keep out retaliatory strikes. The resulting devastation of America and the world led to the Judges taking control of the country. Booth fled the White House and took shelter in the Rocky Mountains with robot armies loyal to him; after the Battle of Armaggedon in 2071, he was captured and tried for war crimes. He was sentenced by Judge Solomon
Judge Solomon
Chief Judge Hollins Solomon is a fictional character from the Judge Dredd stories in the comic 2000 AD. His first appearance in the comic was in a flashback in #68, in the 1978 story The Cursed Earth. However his main appearance is in the story Origins , as a recurring character in a series of...
, who decreed that he should serve a 100 year term in suspended animation
Suspended animation
Suspended animation is the slowing of life processes by external means without termination. Breathing, heartbeat, and other involuntary functions may still occur, but they can only be detected by artificial means. Extreme cold can be used to precipitate the slowing of an individual's functions; use...
, locked up in the deepest vault in Fort Knox
Fort Knox
Fort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. The base covers parts of Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade counties. It currently holds the Army Human Resources Center of Excellence to include the Army Human Resources Command, United States Army Cadet...
.
Snap, Crackle, Pop
Booth was served by three robot medics - Snap, Crackle and Pop - who replaced his blood annually to keep him alive. When Fort Knox was hit by a bomb in later years, the robots (following their programming) began to attack and drain blood from nearby villagers. This led to Booth being inadvertently revived in 2100, whereupon Judge DreddJudge Dredd
Judge Joseph Dredd is a comics character whose strip in the British science fiction anthology 2000 AD is the magazine's longest running . Dredd is an American law enforcement officer in a violent city of the future where uniformed Judges combine the powers of police, judge, jury and executioner...
sentenced him to life working on a Kentucky farm in the Cursed Earth
Cursed Earth
The Cursed Earth is a part of the fictional universe from the Judge Dredd series that appears in the UK comic book 2000 AD.-Background:...
.
Mutant army
In prog 1531, it was revealed that Booth easily took control of the farm, and that he viewed both Dredd's sentence and the Judgement of Solomon as being pathetic. By 2129 he had become the leader (and possible founder) of the New Mutant Army, an anti-judicial mutant guerilla army (previously introduced in a 2004 Judge Dredd Megazine story) that has gained widespread support in the Cursed Earth . He also found Chief Judge FargoChief Judge Fargo
Chief Judge Eustace Fargo is an important fictional character from the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD. He is Judge Dredd's clone father....
's long-lost body, which had lain in cryogenic stasis since 2070, and ransomed it, intending to raise funds for his attempt to reconquer America and reinstate himself as leader. After capturing Dredd, he was taken hostage during Dredd's escape and was used as a human shield. This tactic failed to impress his underpaid and demoralised army, and they simply shot him, reasoning that they could always elect another president.
Appearances
Booth first appeared in 2000 AD #67 and 68, in "The Cursed Earth." He later appeared in #1038–1040 in "The Hunting PartyThe Hunting Party (Judge Dredd story)
The Hunting Party is a Judge Dredd story which appeared in British comic 2000 AD in 1997. It consisted of 18 episodes published over 17 issues...
," and in the story "Origins
Origins (Judge Dredd story)
Origins is one of the longest Judge Dredd storylines to run in the pages of British comic 2000 AD. Making extensive use of flashbacks, it tells the story of how the Judges of Mega-City One rose to power. It was written by John Wagner and illustrated by Carlos Ezquerra, who between them created...
" (#1505–1519 and 1529–1535).
Other fictional presidents in Judge Dredd
- Thomas Gurney, re-elected in 2028. Appointed Eustace FargoChief Judge FargoChief Judge Eustace Fargo is an important fictional character from the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD. He is Judge Dredd's clone father....
as first chief judgeChief Judge of Mega-City OneChief Judge of Mega-City One is the title of several supporting characters in the Judge Dredd comic strip published in 2000 AD. The chief judge is dictator and head of state of Mega-City One, a fictional future city of around 400 million people in 22nd-century America...
in 2031. - Foreman Pierce, president in 2051. Appointed Solomon as Fargo's successor.
- Chambers, female president defeated for re-election in 2060.
- Harvisson, elected in 2060, with Booth as his vice-president. Succeeded by Booth during his second term.