This is an extended "bio" post that I put together for someone, and figured it would be useful to have here as well for anyone who hasn't seen the show! ^-^

 

Claudia is the founder and President of the C.H. Postal company. His is in his mid-to-early thirties, and served the Leiden Army during what is only referred to in the show as "The War." He is a kind and considerate man, who wants the best for those around him and does everything he can to provide people with opportunities. Cattleya describes him as a person who is naturally charismatic, and works hard to earn the trust of his friends; but in the past was known for wearing his heart on his sleeve. In the manga it is implied that Claudia is easily flustered, and due to this Cattleya has been known to tease him from time to time. His parents were certain that he was going to be born a girl, hence the first name Claudia; but when he was born a boy, they still kept the name. He is only slightly embarassed by this, and asks employees to refer to him as "President" or "Mr. Hodgins." Secretly, Claudia has strong parental/fatherly instincts.

 

After the war, there was a very large portion of the population left without the ability to read or write. Claudia started the postal company after his service to help reestablish communication around the country, and to enlist the help of "Auto Memories Dolls" to help people write letters to family members and loved ones. While it certainly isn't the only postal company or employer of Dolls, his quickly becomes famous thanks to the rising skill and popularity of the newest member: Violet Evergarden.

 

The show only briefly dives into the history of Auto Memory Dolls, but their job is rather unique. They don't just write out a letter verbatim from the requestor - their job is to find out the "true meaning" behind what the sender wishes to say to the recipient, and put that into words in the letter. Due to this unique skill, they're able to help many people who are unable to write well send heartfelt letters to friends or family. But that's not all; Dolls are often requested in business negotiations, relations between nobles & royal families, and even political communications between nations. Claudia has an Auto Memory Doll Certification school attached to his company, and currently employs four Dolls: Cattleya Boudelaire, Iris Cannary, Erica Brown, and now Violet Evergarden.

 

Violet is the main character of the show, but her origins are very much a mystery. She was assigned to Major Gilbert Bougainvillea as a child during the war, and had apparently been conditioned to act only as a weapon; she was completely emotionless, seemingly lacking any humanity. Gilbert took her under his protection, and she served with him during the war. Throughout the conflict, Gilbert taught her to read and write, and tried to help her unlearn the conditioning. Before the final battle that ended the war, Gilbert met with his best friend Lieutent Colonel Claudia Hodgnins to discuss Violet's future. Gilbert made Claudia promise that if anything were to happen to him, he would watch over Violet and take her in.

During the final battle, although victory was just about ensured, Gilbert's unit was ambushed during a last ditch attempt by the enemy. He suffered fatal bleeding injuries, and Violet lost both of her arms. In his final moments, Gilbert ordered her to leave him, and to be free. His last words to her were "I love you."

After being rescued and brought to a hospital to recover, Claudia kept his promise to Gilbert and took her in. Claudia tries his best to help Violet discover her humanity, and Violet decides to become an Auto Memory Doll. Her true reasoning was to discover the meaning behind Gilbert's dying words of "I love you."