Joseph Furman

From West Wing Wiki

Senator Joseph B. Furman (born 1913-2009) Furman was born in Newnan, Georgia and spent most of his life there. In 1938 he was elected to the Georgia State Senate. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II and shot down 43 Axis aircraft. After the war Furman was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and served from 1947-1957. In 1956 he defeated Georgia Governor Herman Tallmadge in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, and was elected to the Senate that November. In 1962 he changed parties and became a Republican, he would go on to be re-elected in 1968, 1974, 1980, 1986, 1992, 1998, 2004. Furman served as President pro tempore of the United States Senate from 1979-1987, 1989-1997, and 1999-2009. During the kidnapping of Zoey Bartlet in May 2003, he was next in the order of succession after Glen Allen Walken.^[1]

[edit] Notes

Joseph Furman was based on real life former Senator, Strom Thurmond.

1. ↑ "If something were to happen to you, the Presidency would fall to Senate pro tempore Joseph Furman, who is 90. from 7A WF 83429