McLaren was a Starfleet officer, then later in life entered politics. He was elected President of the United Federation of Planets in 2268, following President Kenneth Wescott's refusal to serve another term. The historic agreement with the Kelvans was negotiated during his time in office. His term also saw the birth of the Klingon-Romulan alliance, the disaster at the Lantaru sector, and the theft of a new form of cloaking device from the Romulan Star Empire. (LUG reference: Star Trek Core Games Book; ST novel: Articles of the Federation)