Ray Matveyev

Ray Carson Matveyev (born 2 December 1963) is the current President of the Democratic Republic of the Pacific, former president of the Provisional Republic of Puget Sound and the Republic of Washington, as well as the twenty-third and last Governor of Washington State. As Chairman of the Convention, Matveyev led the Progressive Party of the Pacific to victory in the elections in the State of Washington and the Pacifican Democratic Republic, and its Pacifican Independence Movement calling for the succession of Washington State from the United States. Matveyev defeated Democratic and Republican rivals in the 2009 elections to become the tenth head of state for a nation that succeeded from the United States (alongside California, San Francisco, Nevada, Rio Grande, Texas, Carolina, Alaska, Arizona, and Michigan).

Pre-Pacifican Life
Ray Matveyev was born to Jason and Michelle Matveyev on 2 December 1963 in New Orleans, Louisiana. After Hurricane Betsy damaged most of their home beyond repair in 1965, the family relocated across the country to settle in Kirkland, Washington (12 miles east of Seattle, across Lake Washington) where home development was starting to takeoff. Matveyev graduated from local Juanita High School in 1971 and went to attend the University of Washington where he graduated in 1976. He then attended law school at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington where he graduated in 1984.

Ray married Ashlen McFarlane (born 5 June 1965) on 19 November 1982, he met her while attending Gonzaga University. After he graduated the couple moved to his hometown of Kirkland where they had two kids: Michael in 1985 and Katrina in 1988. Michael is currently attending the University of Washington, he graduated from Juanita High School in 2003 and Katrina recently moved back to Seattle to attend the UW from being at the University of California. She too graduated from Juanita High School, in 2006, and is expected to graduate from the University of Washington in 2010.

While not at the Capitol, Matveyev spends time with his family where they now live in Lacey, a suburb of Olympia.

Pacifican Independence Movement
With six others, Ray Matveyev formed the Seattle chapter of the Pacifican Independence Movement on 2 November 2008, a movement that already had four other chapters on the west coast (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Oregon, and Spokane, Washington). With the successions of California and Oregon almost inevitable because of the state of the economy and disorganization of the federal government, the Seattle-Pacifican Independence Movement united with the Spokane chapter to form the Independence Movement of Washington and the Pacific. As with the two other chapters, Pacifican Independent California and Independent Movement of Pacifican Oregon, the Washington movement gained influence in the state legislature. This was accomplished by having meetings with legislators, state officials, holding rallies and demonstrations. By this time, the movement had gained significant strength in the state, primarily in the western half of Washington and the more liberal communities.

A recall election was called for Christine Gregoire on 22 January 2009, just two days after she was inaugurated for her second term as Washington State's twenty-second governor. Ray Matveyev and the Independence Movement spearheaded the recall, reorganizing themselves into the Progressive Party of the Pacific, Matveyev as leader. If unsuccessful with the recall election, the Progressive Party hoped to win local elections that were coming up that year. This seemed like a likely plan since the Party wasn't registered with the Washington Department of State. However, Matveyev ran as an independent write-in candidate, and ran a successful campaign. He became the first write-in candidate to win an election as governor in the United States, and became a figurehead for other independence movements in America on how to get into office.

Rally for a Republic
The Progressive Party of the Pacific, and Independence Movement of Washington and the Pacific organized the "Rally for a Republic", demonstrations that were to be held across the state demanding the state legislature pass Governor Matveyev's independence declaration that he sent to the legislature on 20 February 2009. The rally was held in Seattle, Olympia, Bellevue, Bellingham, Vancouver (Washington), Port Townsend, and to a lesser extend in the east: Spokane, the Tri-Cities, Pullman, and Wenatche. The largest rallies, in Seattle and Olympia, had about twenty to thirty thousand protesters. Matveyev attended the rally at Olympia and by two in the afternoon he drove to attend the rally in Seattle where he was shot at by an unknown assailant. Police investigations that followed showed that someone belonging to a small group of people against the successionist movement were responsible for the assassination attempt. No one was injured, but it showed the extent people were ready to go to in an atmosphere where little was really being done to uphold the law. On 25 February 2009, the independence declaration was agreed upon by the Washington Legislature, by who some claim was fraud and intimidation instituted by the Independence Movement and the Progressive Party. Matveyev denied these accusations. On the morning of 26 February 2009. Matveyev organized what he called the "Rally of the  Republic" at Seattle Center, under the Space Needle, he read aloud on a televised broadcast and in front of a crowd of thousands the Declaration of Sovereignty from the United States of America. Additionally, he declared himself to be President of the Republic of Washington, ordered a national convention be convened for adoption of a new constitution, and that a new cabinet will be appointed for the country.

Independence and Splits
Almost immediately after the independence declaration, there were many pressures facing Matveyev: the formation of a provisional government, the election of a constitutional convention, and internal and external pressures for reforming the nation in one way or another.

Eastern Washington splits
Eastern Washington counties and cities were protesting the legitimacy of the declaration of sovereignty for two reasons: no referendum was held, and Eastern Washington residents are outnumbered in the state legislature representation by Western Washington legislators. Matveyev argued that a referendum wouldn't be allowed by federal forces and would take too long to fully count. He also argued that the decree was passed in the legislature which is by proportion that Eastern Washington voters have to comply with by state consitutional law. Matveyev reorganized the legislature into the Legislature of the Washington Republic, consisting of two provisional chambers: Constitutional Convention and the Senate of the Republic. Each held equal representation based of representatives from counties instead of legislative districts, however this raised protest from officials in Seattle who said that the city was unfairly represented because of it being by far the largest populated country (and city) in the State. Matveyev then signed an order creating Sealth County, which was drawn to the borders of the metropolitan Seattle area.

The new borders balanced East and West Washington 20 to 20 counties, and thus 20 to 20 Senators and representatives in the Convention. Representatives from the Eastern Washington counties boycotted the Legislature of the Republic, calling it illegitimate. Former state senators and state representatives formed what they called the "Washington State government-in-exile" in Spokane. President Matveyev called this a "hostile rebel movement" while his opponents called him a hypocrite claiming that he could rebel against the United States Government, but not against his own government. On 5 March 2009, the counties of Eastern Washington declared themselves to be independent of the Washington Republic and to be apart of the United States as Washington State. Also declaring themselves to be the continuation of the Washington State government, however they appointed mostly Republicans as officials of the government. Dino Rossi, defeated candidate in the controversial 2004 and 2008 election, was named governor. On 6 March, the United States Congress re-admitted Washington into the union, after the area was independent for a total of eight days. Ray was furious and saddened over the succession of the eastern counties, remarking once to a journalist "I'm sad over the fact that we cannot be united as a whole state - now country - over the issue of representation and independence". After the succession of the eastern counties, Sealth County was abolished and the Seattle area was readmitted into King County.

California and split with the Independence Movmement
Externally, California (which had now annexed Oregon and newly-independent Arizona) was demanding Washington form a new nation with them: the Confederation of the Pacific. Matveyev and his administration outright rejected California's offer saying: "we want an independent Washington, not for Washington to be transferred as a state in a America to that of California." California President Janice Jordan was angered and responded with threats of economic embargo, deportation of all (former) Washington State residents. Western Washington counties, dependent on outside trade as a major source for their economy favored a union with California (whether it be political or economic). Matveyev, seeking for total independence, rejected any idea of a union with California, which caused a split in the Independence Movement. The Movement, which Matveyev lead, had been working behind the scenes to foster a deal with the Oregonian, Californian, and Arizonian movements for an all-Pacific coast nation. Because of this, the Independence Movement split with the Progressive Party, which favored Washingtonian nationalism and total independence. Matveyev stepped down as the Movement's leader on 3 March 2009 before he could be ousted by its membership. The President worked with his party to re-formalize relations between the Movement and the republican government, but it was in vain. Following the successions of Eastern Washington counties, counties in Western Washington succeeded to join a political union with California, Oregon, and Arizona. The heavily Progressive Party-controlled counties of King, Snohomish, Thurston, and Pierce, which strategically included the major cities of Seattle, Bellevue, Tacoma and the former state and republican capital of Olympia, decided to stay in the Republic. The remaining counties in the Republic left following the "Program for an All-Pacific Nation" declaration by the Independence Movement on 7 March 2009. The program said that the Movement's intentions were to create a united nation on the Pacific coast of North America, and that the Progressive Party of the Pacific and Matveyev (by name) was preventing such a thing from happening. It also went on to say that the remaining counties in Western Washington were apart of California.

Matveyev was extraordinary resentful to see his organization, the Independence Movement, a movement he created in Seattle and that eventually won the succession of Washington from the United States, was now turned against him. Seeing no way out and a very likely risk at the collapse of his government, the President traveled to California to negotiate recognition of independence and a deal that would leave his government intact. His 3-day tour of California and meeting with its officials in President Janice Jordan resulted in the Treaty of Portland which gave recognition to the counties the Progressive Party controlled (as well as additional territory given to Washington) and recognition of any government and nation continuing the State and Republic of Washington (this also meant the US State of Washington). In return, the Republic of Washington opened up the ports of Tacoma and Seattle to Californian trade and its electronic industries were to trade at an exclusive rate to California. Contrary to what the Independence Movement had wanted, President Jordan following the inclusion of Wahsingtonian counties, did not reorganize the country into any "Pacifican-given" name and just retained the Republic of California name. This sparked the successions of Southern Arizona (including Phoenix) and San Francisco. Matveyev wanted to recognize the new nations, but was hesitant to because of feared backlash from the Californian government. He has been critisized for not supporting the independence movements in San Francisco and Arizona. Matveyev instead sent Progressive Party representatives to the successionist movements to assist their governments in organization and administration. This spurred the Progressive Party of San Francisco and the Progressive Party of Arizona, which currently are the ruling parties in those countries.

Formation of a new government
Following the independence declaration, Matveyev kept his original cabinet from the State Government, and organized the executive branch into a configuration exactly like that to Washington State. He retained the State Legislature for a short while before reorganizing it into the Legislature of the Republic. However upon the successions of Eastern Washington and several Western Washington counties on 5 and 7 March, respectively, Matveyev traveled to California to gain recognition of the remaining Progressive Party-controlled territory. Matveyev reformed the nation into the Provisional Republic of Puget Sound, reflecting both where the country was now located and its provisional nature on the road to a new sovereign nation.

The Provisional Republic of Puget Sound had its capital in Seattle, because of its availability of office space and large places to convene an assembly that could alternate in its size. With the loss of nearly three-quarters of the Republic's original territory, the legislature needed to be majority reformed.