Sam Seaborn
From West Wing Wiki
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| Sam Seaborn | |
|---|---|
| Seasons | 1, 2, 3, 4, 7 |
| Titles | Deputy Chief of Staff Deputy Communications Director |
| First Episode | Pilot |
| Last Episode | Tomorrow |
| Played by: | Rob Lowe |
Samuel Norman Seaborn is the current Deputy White House Chief of Staff under President Matt Santos, and was formerly the Deputy White House Communications Director under President Josiah Bartlet. (Tomorrow)
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Samuel Norman Seaborn attended Princeton University, although his undergraduate major is unclear. He makes repeated references to his alma mater, especially in the earlier seasons, indicating a certain pride in his attendance there. "Princeton" is his Secret Service code name, and he mentions being the recording secretary of the Princeton Gilbert & Sullivan Society.
Sam attended Duke Law School, where he was an editor of the Duke Law Review. He also worked at the law firm of Dewey Ballantine in New York City before joining Gage Whitney Pace, the second biggest law firm in New York City. Sam worked there for seven years before leaving to become a speech writer for Josiah Bartlet during Bartlet's campaign for the presidency. Sam was about to be made partner before he joined the campaign on the recommendation of his friend Josh Lyman, who had just gone to see the Governor speak and believed Bartlet was "the real thing".
After he joined the campaign, Sam broke up with his fiance, Lisa Sherborne, whom he was planning to marry in October of that year. In a later episode C.J. asks Sam, "Did she break up with you because her name would be Lisa Sherborne-Seaborn?"
Sam's other romantic relationships include a "highly priced call girl" named Laurie (with whom he slept without knowledge of her profession), and a flirtation with Leo McGarry's daughter, Mallory.
Sam's greatest strength and sometimes flaw is his unflinching idealism. His enduring faith in and love for the American political process are important aspects of his character. In a third season episode, President Bartlet told Sam that he would run for President later on in his career and that he should not be scared when he does so.
During the fourth season, Sam decides to run for Congress in his home district — the California 47th in Orange County, California — in a special election held after Horton Wilde, a Democratic candidate who died of a heart attack, narrowly won the election posthumously. Sam lost the election by a wide margin, returning to work in law firms.
In 2007, after Matt Santos' campaign is victorious, Josh Lyman asks Sam to become Santos' Deputy Chief of Staff. Sam accepts, under the condition that Josh take a vacation first. The series ends with Sam, as Josh puts it, playing "Josh" to Josh's "Leo".
[edit] Resume
[edit] Education
- Princeton University (graduated magna cum laude)
- Duke Law School
[edit] Work History
- Lawyer for Dewey Ballantine Law Firm
- 1991-1998 : Lawyer for Gage Whitney Pace Law Firm
- 2002-2006 : Lawyer for a corporate law firm
[edit] Political History
- Staffer for several Representatives
- Staff member for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
- 1998 : Speechwriter for the "Bartlet for America" campaign
- 1999-2002 : Deputy White House Communications Director
- 2002 : Democratic Candidate for 47th Congressional District in California
- 2007-present : Deputy White House Chief of Staff for Strategic Planning
[edit] Quotes
"Oratory should raise your heartrate. Oratory should blow the doors off the place."
[edit] Other
| Preceded by: unknown | Deputy White House Communications Director 1999-2002 | Succeeded by: Will Bailey |
| Preceded by: Horton Wilde | Democratic Candidate for California's 47th District 2002 | Succeeded by: unknown |
| Preceded by: Cliff Calley | Deputy White House Chief of Staff for Strategic Planning 2007-present | Succeeded by: Incumbent |
