The Silver family made their fortune, oddly enough, from copper rather than silver.  However, though they were extremely wealthy, none of them had ever had political aspirations before.  That all changed when Gertrude Silver, the current matriarch and head of the Silver family, was appointed to serve out the last months of a city councilman's term in office after he resigned to run for mayor (he lost).  Though she didn't immediately begin seeking political office, she became a familiar face first down in City Hall, and later at the state capitol.

It was while she was working in a senator's office that she first met her future husband, a young corporal who was receiving an award from the governor.  The two met, fell in love, and corresponded and dated for a year and a half before the corporal--now a sergeant--finally asked Gertrude to marry him.  She said yes, and they were wed.

For a time, all was wedded bliss.  While he was deployed and reassigned several times, he was home often enough to get their family started:  six boys, all roughly two years apart in age.  Gertrude raised them to the best of her ability, frequently declining new appointments in the halls of power to be a good mother to her young children.  She loved her sons, but she had a feeling...just a feeling...that her husband didn't feel the same way.  She also had a feeling...actually more like a suspicion...that her husband was being less than faithful to her, but she kept quiet because that was what a wife was expected to do in those days.  Still...

All of that changed when her husband was wounded in the line of duty and was forced to retire, accepting an honorable discharge from the military.  Rather than deal with his depression and frustration all by herself, she urged him to channel his energy into political office.  To his surprise, he turned out to be a rather popular politician, and the political savvy he picked up from her--which Gertrude had gleaned herself from watching behind the scenes--quickly had him going places.

Eventually, once her oldest son was able to supervise his brothers without needing supervision himself, she finally did what everyone had been urging her to do and ran for office.  With her skills, it wasn't long before she rivaled her husband's political rank.  In truth, though she didn't quite reach the same level of politics as he did--he had become a United States Senator while she was a state Senator--she was a better politician than he was, and they both knew it.  Gertrude had a feeling...again, just a feeling...that her husband wasn't happy about this at all.

Because her husband had served with distinction until his discharge, Gertrude backed him in insisting that their sons also enlist.  It didn't matter which branch they went into as long as they served.  Five of her six sons did as they were told.  However, after their oldest son Warren chose not to reenlist and instead enter into civilian law enforcement, her husband summarily disowned him.  Gertrude was deeply saddened by this, but abided by her husbands decision.

Around the same time that Warren left the military, their fifth son, Michael was just finishing high school and was expected to enlist himself.  Michael, however, outright refused to enlist.  Gertrude's husband, outraged, now disowned a second son.  Gertrude, angry herself now, though she openly supported her husband, secretly sent money to Michael, ensuring that he was able to finish college and make a living for himself.  She only stopped when he told her to, not wanting her to get in trouble with her husband.

Gertrude continued to undermine her husband in other ways as well.  Though he had no knowledge of it, her second and fourth sons were closer than anyone else realized.  Lionel (the second son) and Warren had shared a room growing up, and Harrison (the fourth son) and his brother Jason (third son) had shared a room.  Now with Warren gone, Harrison moved into Lionel's room.  Ostensibly it was so Jason could study for deployment overseas, but the truth was a bit different.  Gertrude accidentally found out how close Lionel and Harrison really were when, bothered by insomnia, she peeked in on them as she had done when they were little boys and found them sleeping in the same bed.  She kept it secret from her husband, however, having a fairly good idea what his reaction would be.

Her expectations were proven true when their youngest son, Casper, was forced to leave the military after being caught fraternizing with another man.  Gertrude didn't even get a chance to welcome her son home: her husband sent him a letter telling him that he was disowned and to never come home again.  Furious, Gertrude sent a second letter to Casper, telling him to go to one of his brothers, either Warren (who had married into the Gold family) or Michael (who had taken the name "Smith" and now had a family of his own).  Then she set about planning to divest herself of her less-than-worthy husband.

She needn't have bothered.  Shortly after disowning Casper, her husband asked her for a divorce from his side, and she readily gave it to him.  He wanted some of her estate...he got practically nil.  At her insistence, they had kept their accounts separate, and they reasonably divided what they owned jointly.  At her late father's insistence, her husband had been forced to sign a pre-nuptial agreement--the only way her father would agree to the marriage.  All Gertrude had to give to her husband--now her ex-husband--was a lump sum of roughly 25,000 simoleons.  Gertrude felt this was more than fair, especially since the family he was marrying into was hardly poverty-stricken.

With her former husband gone, she set about rebuilding her family.  Sadly, the home was now too small to welcome her absent sons back--both Warren and Michael now had families of their own, and Casper's boyfriend had now moved in with him at Michael's home.  So, it was a bit of a relief for Gertrude that Jason met and married a young woman named Wanda who was, he told her, also in the military.

In truth, Jason--though he maintained he pretense--was no longer in the military.  After seeing what happened to Warren, he kept his decision not to re-enlist a secret from his parents.  Instead, using contacts he'd made during his overseas deployments, he had begun building a criminal network that specialized in smuggling.  In short, Jason was now a Smuggler.  And his wife Wanda was actually his partner in crime, a Smuggler like himself.  Despite this, they kept up appearances, even to the point of having children (though it was more of an accident with consequences, both Jason and Wanda are happy).

Shortly after the birth of their daughters--first Kendra, then a year later Irene--Wanda decided that it was time to leave the world of crime behind and make something of herself.  Jason, though reluctant to allow it, agreed to it, and helped Wanda find new employment.  She entered into the sciences and, making use of long-dormant skills, quickly became a Theorist.

Although Gertrude was happy to have grandchidlren--and resigning herself to the fact that she wouldn't see her other grandchildren (Warren's and Michael's kids)--she was deeply saddened when Lionel suddenly brought home a lovely young woman and announced that they were getting married.  It didn't surprise her when her son Harrison moved out, but she made no mention about it since neither he nor Lionel had ever acknowledged their relationship openly.  She accepted Michelle into her family readily enough, though she was very disappointed in her second son.

With his father gone, Lionel left the military and embraced his love of music.  It was a bit of a struggle, but he soon became a Rock Star.  Surrounded by groupies, both male and female, he was sorely tempted to stray from his wife.  Michelle, however, who was famous in her own right as a Celebrity Chef, warned him in no uncertain terms that if he ever did wander, she would never agree to a divorce and would instead do everything to make his every meal a nightmare...and since she had studied the cuisines of many different countries and cultures, she could do it, too.  Needless to say, Lionel doesn't stray...the fear of being served obscure, exotic dishes that sometimes stared back at you or moved on your plate is sufficient to curb his interests.

Gertrude herself found new love.  Although she, as a Senator, was supposed to avoid scandal like a plague, Gertrude married the younger (much younger) man who had brought love back into her life.  Jean-Claude was scarcely older than her son, Michael, and was coincidentally the cousin of Warren's wife.  Despite the age difference, they are deeply in love with each other, and their intimate moments are all the better for her experience and his energy.

Jean-Claude, though he dons a suit to fuflill his role as CEO of a major company, very much prefers shorts and a windbreaker--no shirt.  Athletic and fit, he knows Gertrude likes how he looks and does all he can to keep her happy.  Though it wasn't really his thing, he began wearing a skimpy thong to bed, just for her.  Now he's used to it, and besides, she loves the way he looks in it.

Gertrude would gladly have all her sons back with her, but the Silver estate can only accommodate so many.  And though she knows it's impossible at her age, she would love to give Jean-Claude a son or daughter.  Still, he seems happy, so she's happy, and, really, that's all that matters, so she's satisfied with how her life turned out.

Family Base Income:  $5280 (Senator - $700; Rock Star - $1,100; Smuggler - $900; Theorist - $870; Celebrity Chef - $760; CEO - $950)