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❝ In a triumph of the middling, a nod to mediocrity, and with gorge rising... ❞
TOBY ZIEGLER

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Toby Ziegler

Charlie Young was the Deputy Special Assistant to Chief of Staff and formerly the Personal Aide to the President of the United States during the Bartlet Administration.

Biography[]

Young's mother was a police officer in Washington, D.C. who was killed in the line of duty in 1999, five months before he began working for the Bartlet Administration. He takes care of his sister, Deana Young, as his father is "long gone".[1] Charlie graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High School, a public school in D.C., but later said that he would have preferred to go to Gonzaga High, a Catholic school with a better academic reputation and a comparatively crime-free history. Though he had high grades at school, Charlie decided not to go to college until Deana finished school. However, after a year at the White House, Charlie decides to take courses at Georgetown University while still keeping up with the demands of his job.

Work[]

Charlie worked as President Bartlet's "body man", his personal assistant and works closely with the President's Secretary to ensure the smooth operation of the Oval Office. He originally came to the White House to get a part-time job as a messenger, but was picked by Ms. DeLaguardia (Deborah Fiderer, later to become the President's secretary) to replace the President's previous personal aide, and was interviewed by Josh Lyman for the job. Charlie began dating Zoey Bartlet, the President's youngest daughter and became the target of an assassination attempt by a white supremacist group. Charlie also serves as a mentor to Anthony Marcus, a troubled young man whose "Big Brother", Simon Donovan (a Secret Service Agent assigned to protect C.J. Cregg), was killed in Spring 2002.

After graduating from Georgetown, Charlie was forced to make good on a promise he made to the President to move on and leave his job as the President's body man once he graduated. Charlie found it hard to leave the White House and began passing his résumé around the West Wing. C.J. Cregg, the newly appointed Chief of Staff, asked Charlie to stay in the West Wing as a special aide to the Chief of Staff. A man named Curtis Carruthers replaced Charlie as President Bartlet's body man. In 2006, Charlie is accepted to Georgetown Law School, thanks in part to a personal letter of recommendation from President Bartlet.

2009[]

At the dedication of the Bartlet Presidential Library, Charlie congratulates Bartlet for his role in peace talks in Jakarta, Indonesia, although his specific function is not defined.

Personality[]

Charlie at first appears to be an affable, modest young man severely out of his depth in the White House. However, his intelligence (which is of an order to enable him to engage in debates with almost everyone in the building) soon shows itself in his deduction of the President's location when he lost his glasses. ("A Proportional Response") Charlie rapidly demonstrates a fearlessness whether it's guarding a man a foot taller than him on the basketball court ("The Crackpots and These Women"), defusing a situation and defending Zoey at a bar ("Mr. Willis of Ohio") or standing up to various influential people who want to get into the Oval Office.

Resume[]

EDUCATION

  • 2005: Bachelor's Degree - Georgetown University

WORK

Relationships[]

Zoey Bartlet

Zoey and Charlie start dating shortly after meeting at the White House in 1999. They later break up, though Charlie professes his love for her, much to her chagrin (and secret delight). Charlie briefly sees someone else, but eventually asks Zoey out on a date and they were later sighted sitting next to one another at Zoey's birthday party in the East Room watching Penn and Teller burn a flag. They reunite, as evidenced by Charlie sneaking out of Zoey's room and being caught by the President.

Behind the scenes[]

  • The character's name may be a tribute to Charles Young, the first ever black Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army.
  • Dulé Hill made only a few appearances in Season 7, as he began starring in another TV show: Psych.

Photos[]

Charlie Young/Gallery

References[]



PREDECESSOR
Ted Miller
Personal Aide to the President
Charlie Young
SUCCESSOR
Curtis Carruthers
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