| Melissa Mailey | |
| Fictional Character | |
| 1632 series POD: May, 1631 | |
| Appearance(s): | 1632 1633 Ring of Fire 1634: The Ram Rebellion 1634: The Baltic War 1635: The Cannon Law 1635: The Papal Stakes 1636: The Ottoman Onslaught 1636: Mission to the Mughals |
| Type of Appearance: | Direct |
| Nationality: | United States of Europe (born in the United States |
| Date of Birth: | 1943 |
| Occupation: | Educator, Diplomat |
| Affiliations: | Fourth of July Party |
Melissa Mailey was a history teacher at Grantville High School. After the Ring of Fire trapped the town in 1631 Germany, Mailey's knowledge of the period made her a critical figure in the growing United States of Europe. She was acid-tongued and acerbic, but well-liked by the people of Grantville nonetheless.
Early Life[]
Mailey was born in Boston. An unabashed liberal, Mailey had participated in civil rights protests and organizations throughout her life. Those protests cost her her first two teaching positions in the 1960s-1970s. She took the position in Grantville because no one would take her, and even then, a rally she organized for the Equal Rights Amendment nearly cost that job as well. However, when she was arrested during the United Mine Workers of America strike of 1977-78 for denouncing a state trooper, she became a hero to the miners, and so finally won acceptance.
After the Ring of Fire[]
In the days after the Ring of Fire, Mailey was very visible as her knowledge of the Thirty Years' War and the risks it posed to Grantville were shared with the rest of the community. When Mayor Henry Dreeson announced a proposed emergency commmittee at a town meeting, Mailey, stirred by Mike Stearns' call for an early American Revolution nominated him as chairman of the committee. In an act of "revenge", the victorious Stearns appointed Mailey to his cabinet.
Mailey became the first secretary of the cabinet. Stearns also appointed her to the sub-committee to set-up the constitutional convention. Mailey had a hand in selecting some of the members, including Dr. James Nichols, whom she selected because he was a black man, and believed that his background would be critical in shaping a constitution.
Mailey also involved herself in the processing of refugees. She guided Gretchen Richter and her female family members through a shower after the Battle of the Crapper, convincing them they she was not going to murder them. Mailey realized that Gretchen had caught the eye of Jeff Higgins, and was somewhat concerned about one taking advantage of the other. Indeed, the relationship generally, and Gretchen in particular, challenged some of her political views and how they might apply (if at all) to this era. She also realized how Richter could become an instrument for spreading more enlightened ideas into the era, an idea she shared with Mike Stearns and Rebecca Abrabanel. Thus, she was quite pleased when Higgins announced he'd asked Gretchen to marry him.
Mailey took it upon herself to help manage Gretchen's assimilation into American culture, which included managing Gretchen's role as a bride. This included telling Gretchen that Jeff Higgins loved her (an idea Gretchen dismissed as being reserved for nobility), and that Gretchen need to work at loving him back.
Concurrently, Mailey began a relationship with Dr. James Nichols.
Mailey was frequently accued of tyranny by John Chandler Simpson during the lead-up to the 1631 elections. She played a critical role in the preparation of the Constitution, and was a founder of the Fourth of July Party, although neither event came about without conflict. Much to her chagrin, Mailey was elected to the House of Representatives in the 1631 election.
The Battle of Grantville[]
Mailey was in Grantville High School during the Croat raid. While she herself didn't actually engage in much combat, she helped Sharon Nichols provide emergency medical aid to Ed Piazza, who took a bullet to the lung. After the fighting was over, she quickly tracked down James Nichols.
London[]
Mailey was later appointed as de-facto leader of the Grantville embassy to London. She and the embassy were placed under house arrest by the English government in the Tower of London. Despite that, the embassy's luggage went unchecked.