The President of Torland is the head of state and the head of government of the Republic of Torland. The president leads the executive branch of the Torland government and is the commander-in-chief of the Torland Defense Forces. The president is elected by popular vote for a six-year term, during which he or she appoints and presides over the cabinet. The Union of Torland, established in 1910 after the Torland Revolution, is considered the beginning of Torland presidential history after Sal Renfro was elected first president of independent Torland.

• Style: Mr. President (informal), His Excellency (formal)
• Status: Head of State, Head of Government, Commander-in-Chief
• Member of: National Cabinet, National Security Council
• Residence: Chamberlain Court
• Seat: Vensessor
• Nominator: Political parties or self-nomination
• Appointer: Direct popular vote
• Term: Six years, renewable
• Precursor: Governor-General of Torland
• Inaugural Holder: Sal Renfro

The precursor to the president was the position of Governor-General, later called President of Congress, during the Colonial Period. The position was unrecognized by the controlling rules of Russia, Spain, and the United States, who each had their own Governors-General ruling over their colonies in Torland during that time.

Ethan Wilder, the great explorer of Torland and prominent statesman for pro-union ideals, was appointed as the first governor-general for the fledgling Torland Colonies in 1812 as residents began to resist against their colonial rulers. Wilder immigrated to Torland Territory in 1799 as a young man with British and French Canadian trappers and became one of the great explorers of the new land. Known to be fearless and intelligent, Wilder helped map the island and forge relations with the hostile native tribes. Wilder was the first man to successfully traverse the treacherous mountain range in central Torland later named after him. Wilder held office as governor-general for 18 years until he retired from public life in 1830.

Philip Chamberlain, known as the “Champion of Torland” and the “Father of Torland,” was the first acting congressional president of Colonial Torland. Chamberlain helped organize the Torland Revolution and was the original draftee of the Torland Declaration of Independence. The presidential working residence in Vensessor is named after him, known as Chamberlain Court. Chamberlain was a tireless champion of a unified Torland, traveling the world to every major governmental court as he campaigned for the Torland people. Chamberlain was beloved by the commonwealth and all of the military and political leaders held him in high esteem as the unquestioned leader of the Revolution. He was a close friend with Sal Renfro. After a political negotiation with Spanish envoys in an attempt to settle territorial disputes in 1909 fell apart, Chamberlain become suddenly ill from poison and died just four days later. The circumstances surrounding his death remain a mystery until this day but popular opinion at the time and still is that Chamberlain was poisoned by a Spanish spy working for the Spanish forces and embassy in a last ditch effort to suppress the Revolution. General Renfro in particular was greatly affected by Chamberlain's untimely death and was so infuriated in his conviction of Spain's involvement that he launched a massive military campaign later called “Sal's Mad Dash” around the rallying cry of “Remember Chamberlain” which helped unify and galvanize Torland forces who had grown tired of the long war effort.

Six presidents served over six elections in the Union of Torland, also known as the First Republic, from the time of independence until the end of World War II and the reformation of the union into the Republic of Torland.

General “Mad” Sal Renfro is the most famous military leader and statesman in Torland history, known for his fearless leadership and high-level strategy. He successfully led the Torland Revolution against colonial rule and later served as Torland's first president in the Union of Torland. Renfro was born in 1853 in Cobantle, Granago. He attended Conover College in Moriga in 1871 under Spanish Colonial rule where he grew disenfranchised with Spanish rule. After graduating in 1875, he moved back to Cobantle where he began meeting with like-minded dissenters. In the early 1880's he moved to Waterdee and founded a semi-secret society with his contemporaries to begin promoting a free Torland from colonial rule.

Anthony Zoppa was one of the least-liked Torland presidents, who ironically followed one of the most well-liked presidents in Malcolm Mury. The 1940 election is still shrouded in mystery and many still believe that Zoppa cheated his way to a victory over Mury. A former senator, Zoppa was a gifted orator and had a huge political machine behind him, primarily organized by his running-mate Jonathan Bancroft. Most of Torland was shocked when the results were announced with Zoppa winning by a narrow margin. Mury was gracious in defeat and decided not to pursue an investigation into the matter, but Congress wasn't so quick to let it slide. Bancroft deftly blocked every attempt at investigation and installed his own people under Zoppa's name in key positions to make sure nothing would surface.

It became quickly clear that Zoppa was nothing more than a puppet for the Bancroft political machine and he flip-flopped so much on policy that he became known as “Floppy Zoppy” by his many critics. The leadership of the country was in complete disarray by the time the Japanese declared war with the surprise Attack of Kurohara on December 8, 1941. The Department of Defense was caught completely unprepared and the Torland Investigations Bureau did not have an acting director at the time of the attack. Conspiracy theorists still believe that Zoppa and Bancroft were paid off by Japanese-Axis intelligence to render Torland helpless against the invasion. However, facts to that end have never been confirmed. Regardless, Zoppa's administration, as a popular cartoon made famous through a powerful image, was “caught with their pants down” and the Japanese forces had little resistance to their invasion.

With Torland in shambles and being invaded by Japan, and the Torland people increasingly indignant, the Torland Congress called for an emergency session to bring counts of treason against the president. The treason charge was not passed but it served to expedite an impeachment hearing against Zoppa and his administration. With Japan on the doorstep of the capital, Congress voted nearly unanimously for impeachment against Zoppa and provided a request for immediate resignation with signatures from most of Congress and nearly a million constituents. Despite the urging of Bancroft otherwise, Zoppa had no stomach left for the proceedings and public humiliation being hurled at him and quietly accepted the resignation request.

With Zoppa and Bancroft ousted, Congress began quickly assembling a shortlist of possible fill-in candidates to assume the presidency. Josef Yusey, a displaced senator from Tamokeva, emerged from the pack for his leadership, strong voice, experience in both war and politics, knowledge of Tamokeva and the western half of Torland, and perhaps most importantly at the time, intimate knowledge of their enemy from a previous diplomacy post in Japan. Yusey, born in Garcio, Tamokeva, had served in the Torland Air Corps as a Lt. Colonel before making the leap into politics. He was a registered Loyalist and ran for offices under the FLM banner but he leaned more bipartisan and his core beliefs seemed Nationalist by nature. Yusey was stubborn and obstinate and difficult to work with but he achieved great results in every post and office he held and the powers in Congress felt he was the right man for the job. In an unprecedented emergency wartime vote by Congress in 1943, Yusey was elected the 6th President of Torland by just three votes. Yusey recommended Arthur Gaddy for the vacant Vice Presidency which was granted.

The 1946 election was a landslide as Yusey presented his New Plan for Torland, dubbed the Yusey Plan, and the Torland people were ready to rebuild after a horrific war. Yusey and Gaddy immediately set to work on the plan to reestablish Torland. The first order of business was to reform the Union into the Republic of Torland.

Although Robert Swann lacked the great charisma of his father, his name alone was enough to build a successful campaign, a fact of which the Nationalist Party were well aware when they paired him to run with George L. Graham. With the Swann name attached to the bill, the concerns about Graham's age and health seemed mitigated and the NTP made a successful run at the election, defeating popular FLM candidate Arthur Gaddy. Graham's administration was largely uneventful until late 1962 when his health began failing. Swann had essentially taken over daily operations by the time Graham passed away in January 1963. He deftly navigated the presidency for the following year which was enough to make him the face of the UNP for the 1964 election. Swann won in a landslide. His presidency was a good one and although he could deal with crisis, such as violent outbursts in the rising Civil Rights Movement, his passivity in matters of politics and legislature had worn thin on the voters by the end of his term. The NTP still nominated him to run for a second term but Swann came in fourth place among the major parties in the 1970 election and he retired from public office.

Thomas Earl Foster was the most progressively liberal president to date and he narrowly won the 1970 election against FLM candidate Roger Baxter. The country seemed to gravitate toward more progressive ideals after the conservative administration of Robert Swann and Foster's likable personality and candid speeches gave him a rise in popularity. Pairing with a more tempered Geoff Townsend was enough to propel him to a win. Baxter and his political machine were less than enthused and did not handle the loss well, particularly in public where Baxter continued an increasingly incendiary rhetoric and campaigned well after the election was over. Foster and his new administration did their best to curb the stirring violence from far-right factions of the FLM and encouraged Baxter to denounce them but he declined. Just two years into his presidency, in a shock to the country and the world, Foster was assassinated by a member of a radical far-right extremist group called The Disrupters. The gunman, Dean Baynes, was found to be mentally disturbed and was apprehended shortly after the attack and sentenced to life without parole. Upon Foster's death, Townsend was sworn in as the 10th President of Torland. Forstana senator David Doubek was appointed Vice President.

Jack Leiderman was a rising young politician from New Dosa. After losing a much-publicized gubernatorial race and a sticky senatorial race just afterward, Leiderman instead turned his focus on the '76 presidency. The Civic Liberty Party, also known as Clippers, had historically done very poorly in presidential elections but Leiderman was a tireless worker and set about on what was later called his Grand Tour and visited every city and town in Torland stumping for change in the country. His brand of more liberal freedoms resonated well with the public and his persistent efforts paid off as he won a very tight race against Townsend to become the first Clipper to be elected. Leiderman was known to be fast and loose with his policies and his international influence was poor but overall is remembered fondly as a unique leader dedicated to his cause of promoting freedom.

After Leiderman's loose style wore thin on voters, the people looked for a more conservative candidate. The Nats nominated Ted Koshinsky, a tight-lipped stoic from southern Galapetra to run on a card with Calvin Mascoe. Koshinsky was a former Airman with a stellar military record and a well-connected family. The people looked past many red flags and elected him the 12th president of Torland. It was soon obvious to all that Koshinsky was in over his head and woefully unprepared to handle the growing dissidence in Torland with civil rights, the developing Cold War, and increasing riots in major cities. Koshinsky's lame duck responses toward many major issues is attributed to sparking the Riots of '85 which caused mass chaos all over Torland and induced violence and bloodshed. An impeachment indictment by Congress stalled out as Tacky Ted became increasingly more hostile and belligerent toward Congress, media, and even the Torland people.

After the catastrophic Koshinsky presidency, the Torland people wanted someone more trustworthy and steady. Senator David Doubek, former Vice President and former governor of Forstana was the prime choice for the Unionist Party who felt they had an excellent opportunity. With media magnate Stanley O'Shea backing a massive political machine, Doubek was nominated with O'Shea's daughter Glory O'Shea as his running mate. Glory was a young senator herself, from Granago where she had handily won the senatorial race. With Stanley's promotion and insistence that Torland was ready for a female top co-leader, Doubek and Glory easily won the presidential election of 1988. Doubek was instrumental in helping bring the 1992 Winter Olympics to Chasonne and is often considered one of Torland's great presidents for his steady leadership, international policies, and innovation to propel Torland into new technology.

A surprise health scare toward the end of his term prompted Doubek not to seek reelection, despite polls and popular opinion indicating that he would win in another landslide as one of the most popular presidents in Torland history. Glory O'Shea also decided she wasn't yet ready to seek the presidency so the Unionists were forced to nominate a lesser candidate. This opened the door for the other primary party candidates to viciously campaign, often resorting to cheap tactics and drama. Chief among them was CLP candidate Dannie Osorio and his running mate Ellen Larsen. The CLP won the election by a razor thin margin. Later in the presidency, an anonymous report came out that Osorio had greenlighted voter fraud tactics in certain areas of the country to help sway the election. While he furiously denied these allegations it was enough to spark an investigation by federal bureaus. While no hard evidence was ever found, the stench of the ongoing investigation and incessant media coverage was enough to ruin his reputation and any chances of future work in public office. The real winner was vice president Ellen Larsen who publicly came out against Osorio and condemned his tactics, causing a major rift at Chamberlain Court.

Despite the fact that she was part of Osorio's campaign and leader of the CLP, Ellen Larsen's public stand against Osorio was viewed by the people as noble and courageous. Despite the black eye being worn by the CLP, her charismatic personality and sharp political mind helped her forge a new team and identity and she ran for president on a card with respected senator Carl J. Berry. On a mission statement of progressive ideas and laws, Larsen pulled ahead in a hotly contested race and became the 15th president of Torland, and first female top official in Torland history. Larsen's administration is considered a successful one, even if conspiracy theorists remain steadfast in their belief that she was the one to set up Osorio for political gain. Larsen helped pioneer greater international trade connection and bring relief to the national debt deficit while also campaigning for human rights and more progressive acceptance of minority groups in Torland.