Philip Riley Mead

Philip Riley Mead is the President of the United States in Deus Ex. Mead is seen only in the intro sequence of the game, sitting in a UNATCO meeting alongside his wife Rachel, but is frequently mentioned in in-game text content. In Deus Ex: Human Revolution, set chronologically prior to Deus Ex, Mead is a rising politician and the Governor of the state of Florida.

Biography
As a young college student, Mead caught the attention of the Illuminati. In particular, he shared a special relationship with the Illuminatus Beth DuClare, who helped groom his political career. In 2027, he was an outspoken Governor of the state of Florida, who urged Congress to resume hearings on human augmentation and their legal ramifications after they were suspended following Doctor Megan Reed's presumed death. Mead was an opportunist politician who worked the angles on Capitol Hill using every trick he could. By the early 2050s, Mead had become the President of the United States.

Endorsement of UNATCO
Mead took opportunity after the 2051 terrorist attack on the Statue of Liberty to lobby Congress to make the United States a charter member of UNATCO. In his landmark State of the Union address, he declared that terrorist threats will not be tolerated. He also decided that the Statue will not be rebuilt but will instead serve as a reminder that "terrorism must be eradicated if we are to be free." As a result of Mead's actions, UNATCO gained the full support of the United States and established its headquarters on Liberty Island.

In 2052, Mead defied Congress by unilaterally paying the country's late dues to the United Nations. He was criticized by leaders of both Democrat and Republican parties. One senator wondered where he got the cash, suggesting that the payment was from a budget item not yet approved by Congress. Another senator accused him of betraying America, stating that "Congress approved UNATCO presence in the US but did not write a blank check, as he said." Under criticism for paying the United Nations at a time of economic crisis, Mead's approval rating dropped to 35%.

Views of Mead's endorsement of UNATCO are divided. Some see it as a guarantee of peace and security, while others are wary of darker motives at work.

Declaring martial law
Mead's actions enabled Bob Page's Majestic 12, the power behind UNATCO, to consolate power. Page also unleashed upon the world the Gray Death virus, a means to induce social unrest as well as to manipulate top government officials through controlled distribution of the Ambrosia vaccine.

Under Mead's administration, the Gray Death was allowed to spread throughout the lower classes, while the wealthy and influential seemingly remained unscathed by the epidemic. Those wealthy few who do somehow contract the "Gray Death" are quickly administered with a small dosage of the Ambrosia vaccine, specifically designed to prevent the spread of the virus amongst Bob Page's chosen social elite. Government policies regarding the production of said vaccine have been the target of public scrutiny due to the unfair method of distribution. The first to receive the vaccine are important political and corporate leaders, followed by wealthy individuals such as doctors, lawyers, and celebrities. Finally, Page's enforcers, witting and unwitting alike, are administered with the vaccine on a monthly basis. This includes UNATCO operatives, Majestic 12 troopers, law-enforcement officers, and US Military personnel.

Later in 2052, the White House is the site of an unsuccessful terrorist attack. It is unknown whether it was conducted by NSF, MJ12, or a completely unrelated organization. In the face of the Gray Death pandemic and public unrest thorough the country, Mead places the entire country under martial law. In implementing martial law, Mead appoints FEMA director Walton Simons to spearhead an interim council tasked with managing the government response. FEMA possesses the power to detain up to six million Americans, including the President, Congress, and the Supreme Court under the pretense of a national emergency. Thus, the imposition of martial law further placed power in the hands of Bob Page and Majestic 12, which controls FEMA as one of its puppet organizations.

Development history
During the development of Deus Ex, Mead was originally planned to play a more direct role in the game's missions. However, the missions that featured Mead were all cut from the final game. Many backstory concepts for Mead that tied in with the cut missions were also cut. These story concepts included a plotline in which Mead was imprisoned by Majestic 12 and replaced by a clone, as well as additional family members, including a daughter named Sarah. Sarah Mead's unique character model was included in the final game, but her character was cut and the character model was repurposed to depict other characters.

Mount Weather
In the Shooter: Majestic Revelations precursor concept, Mead was intended to be portrayed as "an intelligent man, a good, compassionate person, but not an inspirational leader...Though not perfect, Mead is the kind of guy you want in power." Mead was also planned to be augmented with a special secure data-storage module that contains a portion of the code-key that unlocks the nuclear launch mechanism.

Mead himself was to be featured in a mission taking place at Mount Weather, a presidential bunker for housing government officials during a national crisis. In the plotline of Majestic Revelations, the United States is placed under martial law due to a crisis engineered by Majestic 12. Mead, along with his cabinet and family (including his wife Rachel Mead, his daughter Sarah Mead, and his son Philip Riley Mead II), has relocated to Mt. Weather but Majestic 12 plans to assassinate Mead by cutting off the bunker's oxygen supply. After the assassination plot is thwarted, Mead, puts JC Denton in charge of bringing down Majestic 12. Alternatively, if Mead dies in the bunker, his role in the game would be then filled by the vice president.

Mount Weather was later cut during the course of the game's development.

Original backstory
Deus Ex design document v.13.12 reveals that sometime after the game was renamed from Majestic Revelations to Deus Ex, Mead was given an expanded backstory. The backstory, as detailed in design document v.13.12, includes many descriptions of Mead that previously appeared in design document v.6.4, but also includes details of his college years and how he became controlled by the Illuminati and Majestic 12.

According to the backstory, Majestic 12 planned to eventually make Mead the U.S. president when Mead was still a newborn. Majestic 12 also made clones of Mead to serve as backup and murdered Mead's parents to ensure that they would not spill any information. While in college at Yale University, Mead was mentored by Illuminati/Majestic 12 leaders Dr. McTavish, a professor, and his wife, Beth DuClare (who, at the time of the backstory concept, is described as an expatriate French businesswoman). After becoming president, Mead rebelled against Majestic 12 but was unsuccessfully in doing so. Majestic 12 imprisoned him and threatened to replace him with one of the clones.

Design document v.13.12 also mentions that Mead's backstory is somewhat similar to that of JC Denton in that both Mead and JC were developed from childhood under the careful control of Majestic 12.

White House mission
During the game's development, a White House mission was created. Reportedly, by the time of the mission, Mead had been replaced by a clone and the player was tasked with rescuing Mead's daughter. The White House mission was later cut from the game.

Most of Mead's original backstory was also cut from the game. Furthermore, the Deus Ex Bible, which includes many backstory concepts that appeared in design documents but not in the final game, does not explicitly include Mead's backstory of being cloned by Majestic 12 and unsuccessfully rebelling against Majestic 12. The only major remnant of the backstory that is explicitly endorsed in the Deus Ex Bible as part of the game's story is a short description that "Beth DuClare...was involved in preparing college student Philip Riley Mead for the Presidency." In regards to the White House coup, which is mentioned very briefly in the game, the Deus Ex Bible states: "We don't really know all that much about the White House coup... [It] might have had something to do with a clone of Mead himself." This language suggests an intention of not commiting to the details of the original backstory.