History Main / HereditaryRepublic

** And in a broader sense, all US presidents so far (sans UsefulNotes/MartinVanBuren) are descended from UsefulNotes/KingJohnOfEngland, possibly making it a constant lineage in the entirety of the United States' existence.[[labelnote:*]]That being said, every human being on Earth is descended from at least two of the same common ancestors, and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedigree_collapse pedigree collapse]] makes it almost inevitable that if someone several generations removed had any descendants at all, they likely had a lot of them. It's likely that ''a very great many'' people in the United States have King John somewhere in their lineage, whether they know it or not.[[/labelnote]]

** And in a broader sense, all US presidents so far (sans UsefulNotes/MartinVanBuren) are descended from UsefulNotes/KingJohnOfEngland, possibly making it a constant lineage in the entirety of the United States' existence.[[labelnote:*]]That being said, every human being on Earth is descended from at least two of the same common ancestors, and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedigree_collapse pedigree collapse]] makes it almost inevitable that if someone several generations removed had any descendants at all, they likely had a lot of them. It's likely that ''a very great many'' people in the United States have King John somewhere in their lineage, whether they know it or not.[[/note]]

** And in a broader sense, all US presidents so far (sans UsefulNotes/MartinVanBuren) are descended from UsefulNotes/KingJohnOfEngland, possibly making it a constant lineage in the entirety of the United States' existence.

It gets hazy around the edges when the dynasty merely occupies most positions, or there are several BlueBlood or OldMoney families that frequently rotate through the same office. Historically most republics (in contrast to democracies) have tended to have been oligarchies, where either the highest aristocrat or the highest plutocrat families have elected a head of government amongst an inner circle of candidates, easily creating "hereditary" heads of government -- especially if two competing families have elected a third family representative to prevent their competitor from becoming too influential.

* In the science fiction novel ''Ned Kelly'', the protagonist uses a time machine to go back to the 19th Century and save the life of the titular bushranger. Upon returning to the 1970s, he discovers that Kelly went on to become the leader of Australia, which is now run by his great grandson as the current "hereditary president."

* At the subnational level we have the Chechnya region of Russia. Chechnya was a breakaway de-facto independent state following the fall of Communism, but Kremlin-backed warlord and mufti (Islamic judge) Akhmad Kadyrov managed to reconquer the region on behalf of UsefulNotes/VladimirPutin and restore it to the Russian fold, being made official governor. He was assassinated by Chechen separatists in 2004 and replaced by first his ethnic Russian NumberTwo and then the leader of the Russian-backed police. Everyone understood however, that they were seat fillers for Akhmad's son and hardcore Putin loyalist Ramzan Kadyrov. As soon as Ramzan was ready to take power, Putin dismissed the incumbent governor and installed Kadyrov in power, and he has ruled the region ever since. His two "predecessors" were given generous severance packages as CEO of the state railway company and federal Deputy Justice Minister respectively.

* At the subnational level we have the Chechnya region of Russia. Chechnya was a breakaway de-facto independent state following the fall of Communism, but Kremlin-back warlord and mufti (Islamic judge) Akhmad Kadyrov managed to reconquer the region on behalf of UsefulNotes/VladimirPutin and restore it to the Russian fold, being made official governor. He was assassinated by Chechen separatists in 2004 and replaced by first his ethnic Russian NumberTwo and then the leader of the Russian-backed police. Everyone understood however, that they were seat fillers for Akhmad's son and hardcore Putin loyalist Ramzan Kadyrov. As soon as Ramzan was ready to take power, Putin dismissed the incumbent governor and installed Kadyrov in power, and he has ruled the region ever since. His two "predecessors" were given generous severance packages as CEO of the state railway company and federal Deputy Justice Minister respectively.

* At the subnational level we have the Chechnya region of Russia. Chechnya was a breakaway de-facto independent state following the fall of Communism, but Kremlin-back warlord and mufti (Islamic judge) Akhmad Kadyrov managed to reconquer the region on behalf of UsefulNotes/VladimirPutin and restore it to the Russian fold, being made official governor. He was assassinated by Chechen separatists in 2004 and replaced by first his ethnic Russian NumberTwo and then the leader of the Russian-backed police. Everyone understood however, that they were seat fillers for Akhmad's son and hardcore Putin loyalist Ramzan Kadyrov. As soon as Ramzan was ready to take power, Putin dismissed the incumbent governor and installed Kadyrov in power, and he has ruled the region ever since. His two "predecessors" were given generous retirement packages as CEO of the state railway company and federal Deputy Justice Minister respectively.

* At the subnational level we have the Chechnya region of Russia. Chechnya was a breakaway de-facto independent state following the fall of Communism, but Kremlin-back warlord and mufti (Islamic judge) Akhmad Kadyrov managed to reconquer the region on behalf of UsefulNotes/VladimirPutin and restore it to the Russian fold, being made official governor. He was assassinated by Chechen separatists in 2004 and replaced by first his ethnic Russian NumberTwo and then the leader of the Russian-backed police. Everyone understood however, that they were seat fillers for Akhmad's son and hardcore Putin loyalist Ramzan Kadyrov. As soon as Ramzan was ready to take power, Putin dismissed the incumbent governor and installed Kadyrov in power, and he has ruled the region ever since. His two "predecessors" were given generous retirement packages as CEO of the state railway company and Deputy Justice Minister respectively.

* At the subnational level we have the Chechnya region of Russia. Chechnya was a breakaway de-facto indepenednet state following the fall of Communism, but Kremlin-back warlord and mufti (Islamic judge) Akhmad Kadyrov managed to reconquer the region on behalf of UsefulNotes/VladimirPutin and restore it to the Russian fold, being made official governor. He was assassinated by Chechen separatists in 2004 and replaced by first his ethnic Russian NumberTwo and then the leader of the Russian-backed police. Everyone understood however, that they were seat fillers for Akhmad's son and hardcore Putin loyalist Ramzan Kadyrov. As soon as Ramzan was ready to take power, Putin dismissed the incumbent governor and installed Kadyrov in power, and he has ruled the region ever since. His two "predecessors" were given generous retirement packages as CEO of the state railway company and Deputy Justice Minister respectively.

* At the subnational level we have the Chechnya region of Russia. Chechnya was a breakaway de-facto indepenednet state following the fall of Communism, but Kremlin-back warlord and mufti (Islamic judge) Akhmad Kadyrov managed to reconquer the region on behalf of UsefulNotes/VladimirPutin and restore it to the Russian fold, being made official governor. He was assassinated by Chechen separatists in 2004 and replaced by first his ethnic Russian NumberTwo and then the leader of the Russian-backed police. Everyone understood however, that they were seat fillers for Akhmad's son and hardcore Putin loyalist Ramzan Kadyrov, who Putin installed in 2007 and has ruled the region ever since. His two "predecessors" were given generous retirement packages as CEO of the state railway company and Deputy Justice Minister respectively.

** When the Democrats were choosing a candidate for the 2008 election, it was noted that if UsefulNotes/HillaryClinton became president, and served two terms, the USA would have been led for 28 years by members of two families. Then subverted when she wasn't nominated. Though she was later appointed Secretary of State, and made another, failed run in 2016.
** Since Jeb Bush ran for President in 2016, one can't avoid imagining an AlternateTimeline where President (Hillary) Clinton became president only to be succeeded by another President Bush. As is, the Bush family includes two senators, a Supreme Court Justice, two governors, and two presidents, along with many less notable politicians.

** When Senator Frank Murkowski of Alaska was elected Governor in 2002, he gained the right to appoint the replacement who would finish his term in the Senate. He appointed his daughter, Lisa Murkowski, who went on to be elected in her own right. And then elected again despite ''not being an official candidate'', making her only the second person ever elected to the Senate via write-in votes. Despite Lisa Murkowski proving to be very popular among Alaskans, the fact that her father appointed her to the seat was politically damaging to ''him''.
** And in a broader sense, all US Presidents so far (sans UsefulNotes/MartinVanBuren) are descended from UsefulNotes/KingJohnOfEngland, possibly making it a constant lineage in the entirety of the United States' existence.

* The UsefulNotes/UnitedStates has had several political dynasty families (generally at state or local levels of government) with associated political machines (and sometimes with high levels of corruption and patronage). These include the Daleys of UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}}, the Byrds of UsefulNotes/{{Virginia}}, the Kennedys of UsefulNotes/{{Massachusetts}}, the Sullivans of UsefulNotes/{{Alaska}}, the Udalls of the Western US, and the Tafts of UsefulNotes/{{Ohio}}.

** In the United States of Boise, the presidency passes to the previous president's eldest son in a perfunctory election after the latter conspires with a foreign cult to assassinate his father.

Not ''quite'' the same as the PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny; that's when the country doesn't seem to fit the "democratic" or "people's" descriptor, while HereditaryRepublic is when it's the "Republic" part that's in doubt (though they can and often do overlap). May even have a PresidentForLife in charge. Many a BananaRepublic, if not ruled by an out-and-out military dictator or junta, will also settle for this instead, being controlled by a small oligarchy of wealthy and/or politically-powerful dynasties, going through the pretense of regular elections.