West Wing Backgrounds
By deydeal

If you want to learn, more www.whitehouse.gov is a great source

President Chris Larabee—After serving two terms in the House of Representatives, the highly decorated former Navy Seal completed a term of Governor of Colorado.  From a political family, he has a strained relationship with his father, the former governor.  He is well known as a moderate Democrat with tough stands on crime and high ethics.  His strengths are strong leaderships with a clear vision of the future and unwillingness to back down from a good fight.  He isn’t afraid to use the military when needed.  A position that has put him at odds with the press, most notably with Mary Travis of the Washington Post.  He is willing to seek out the advice of others on his staff, but all the final decisions are his.  Many admire his abilities to form a strong team from such diverse sources.  One area of weakness is in foreign relationships and the art of diplomacy. 

A year before running for the Office of President, his wife and only son were killed in a car bomb, the case is still unsolved.  In his grief, he disappeared from political life for one year.  Not much is known about his whereabouts for that year.  He only remerged from hiding when his oldest friend and closest advisor (convinced him to run for the office.  He was the dark horse candidate, where he was not expected to win the primaries, let alone the office.  It was a tough and rough campaign.

He prefers Camp David and the private residence to social events but understands that it is a vital role of President.  He in the past, he has butted heads with his head of security detail over his movements.  He wants more freedom, while the detail remembers what happened to past Presidents.  He has twice escaped his detail.  Unable to tolerate weak-spined and ‘yes ‘ men, he has gone though three personal aides before hiring JD Dunne.  Dunne was willing to correct the President on the rules of Senate at their first meeting.  Personal Secretary is Nettie Welles (she will only give you one of her famous cookies if you are well behaved).  Secret Service code name: Cowboy (but nobody dares say it to his face).

Chief of Staff Buck Wilmington— A well-hidden intelligence and fun loving nature makes him underestimated by Washington politicos.  Steadfast in his loyal to the President, he is willing to take a bullet or a scandal to protect the office.  The brunt of the work of the White House falls on him, both managing the staff and policy.  A former Seal, he finished college while in the navy before moving to Washington to serve as an aide to several Senators.  He then served as COS for Gov. Larabee.  He is the only one that knows what happened to Chris in the year after his family murders.  A secret that could come back to haunt the administration.  He has a love-hate relationship with the Ambassador of Mexico, Inez Recillos.  Assistant is Margaret, a woman who will not put with much from Buck.  Secret Service code name: Rogue

Deputy Chief Staff Vin Tanner—A quiet man, who is feared by members of Congress.  A hard worker that overcame dyslexia in college, he is known for his ability to see the larger picture.  His main focus is national affairs, but his first love is the environment.  Larabee bought him in on the campaign from the Global Environmental Law Center where he was the youngest director in its history.  Surprisly, it was the young environmentist that helped to win the State of Texas for Larabee.  It is well known that he will go completely quiet before launching his well thought out attacks on Congress.  He is underestimated by many.  His loyal to the President is unquestionable.  He has been quoted to say, “That the President don’t hold grudges, that what he pays me to do.”  He prefers to wear casual clothes (jeans and jacket) in the office, much to the delight of his well-known fan club.  He has a tendency to get in trouble when working with Ezra Standish, (setting the Mural Room on fire).  His assistant is Casey Welles, the niece of Nettie.  Secret Service code name: Eagle

Director of Communications, Josiah Sanchez—A graduate of Oxford with degrees in political science and psychology.  Many consider him to be the architect of the Larabee campaign even though most campaigns he worked on have failed because the candidates wouldn’t listen to his sound advice.  The Vietnam veteran is the one who creates the image that the White House wants to project.  He believes that his job and the job of the White House is to better the lives of the American people.  Assistants are Bonnie and Ginger.  Secret Service code name:  Plato

Deputy Director of Communications and head speechwriter, Nathan Jackson—Former lawyer of the South Poverty Law Center.  A son of a poor farm family that taught him that hard work and high principles mean more than skin color, he received a first class education at Harvard then to Duke University Law School.  He was recruited by Josiah after giving an impassion speech in front of the Supreme Court.  He is more concerned about being on the right side than on the winning side.  He often butt-heads with Ezra over issues in friendly debates.  His assistant is Kathy.  Secret Service code name: Liberty

President’s Press Secretary Ezra Standish—Hired by Josiah the same day he was fired from his $600,000 LA based PR job (it not his fault that his client slip in Entertainment Weekly power list).  His job is to brief the press on the important issues for the White House.  Sometimes he is forced to clean the messes that the senior staff makes.  His ‘appearances is everything’ altitude and style puts him at odds with Nathan Jackson.  With Vin Tanner, he finds himself in trouble around Washington and called into the Oval Office.  His secret goal in life is have President Larabee be declared a warm and fluffy guy by People Magazine (cover shot would be nice, too).  His public goal is to increase the vocabulary of the Washington Press Corps.  He is capable of ‘spinning’ anything in the best light for the White House.  Voted the sexiest politician by Washington Magazine, he has a larger fan club than Vin (much to his chagrin).  Little known fact: he has a tendency of being pushed into swimming pools.  His mother has made a regular habit of marrying members of Congress; to the point he said, “Because of Mother, I’m now have to buy half of Congress Christmas cards” Assistant is Carol (main job: to give the correct spellings of the briefings to reporters.)  Secret Service code name: Ace

Personal Aide to the President JD Dunne—A recent graduate of Boston College with a degree in Political Science and a minor in Criminal Justice.  He is young and full of idealism, but with a tendency to still be awed by his position.  Recently he suffered the lost of his mother, a beat cop in Boston, during a failed robbery.  He decided to come work in the White House instead of accepting several more lucrative offers.  Buck has taken the young man under his wing, to showing him the ins and outs of politics.  Secret Service code name: Bowler