Thomas Steele was a UCAS president from the Technocratic Party. He was vice-president to Democrat Alan Adams, re-elected in 2052. Adams died of massive stroke on January 21, the day after his second inauguration, leaving Steele as the president incumbent. Steele and his VP James Booth were overwhelmingly re-elected in 2057, believed by some to be because of Steele's famouse handshake with Dunkelzahn after the dragon was formally recognized as a UCAS citizen in 2056.
Unfortunately, the election of 2057 was publicly announced to be a fraud and House Speaker Betty Jo Pritchard became President instead. The "most boring election in the world" quickly turned into a circus of impeachment. House and Senate chambers were packed for the removal hearings presenting "vastly technical evidence" and still "mesmerized viewers". Booth was the lead counsel for both himself and Steele, but despite being "a hell of a lawyer", Chief Justice Scott closed the case with "Steele despondent...[and]...Booth furiously" arguing for reconsideration, "with his fist in the air."