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Samuel Norman Seaborn
'The West Wing' character
First appearance	Pilot
Last appearance	Tomorrow
Created by	Aaron Sorkin
Portrayed by	Rob Lowe
In-universe information
Nickname	Princeton (Secret Service code name)
Gender	Male
Occupation	Deputy White House Communications Director (Seasons 1-4), Deputy White House Chief of Staff (last episode of Season 7)
Spouse	a fiancee
Nationality	American

Samuel Norman "Sam" Seaborn is a fictional character played by Rob Lowe on the television serial drama The West Wing. He is best known for being Deputy White House Communications Director in the Josiah Bartlet administration.

Creation and development

The role of Sam Seaborn was initially offered to actor Bradley Whitford, who had auditioned for the part of Josh Lyman. However, Whitford wanted and was eventually given Josh, and the part of Sam went to Rob Lowe whose audition, says show creator Aaron Sorkin, "left our jaws on the floor."

Sam's inept performance as a White House tour guide in the pilot episode may have been inspired by former Clinton press secretary Joe Lockhart, who told the Chicago Tribune that despite having to give tours on a regular basis, he did not know whether the Roosevelt room was named after Franklin or Teddy Roosevelt. "I haven't gotten caught yet, but I've made up a few things."

Character biography

Sam grew up in Laguna Beach, California, and graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University. 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 and Sullivan Society.

Sam attended Duke Law School and was the editor of the Duke Law Review (which, in reality, is known as the Duke Law Journal). He was a staffer for several congressmen and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. He was also a practicing lawyer, working at the law firm of Dewey Ballantine in New York City before joining the fictional Gage Whitney Pace, reputedly the second biggest law firm in New York City. Sam worked there for seven years and was about to be made partner when he was recruited by old friend Josh Lyman to work as a speechwriter for New Hampshire Governor Josiah Bartlet's campaign for the Presidency. After Bartlet's victory in the Election of 1998, Sam attained the position of Deputy White House Communications Director in the Bartlet Administration, often collaborating with White House Communications Director Toby Ziegler to write the President's most important public addresses, most notably States of the Union and his first inaugural.

Sam's tragically flawed romantic relationships are something of a theme of the series. After joining the campaign, Sam broke up with his fiancée, Lisa Sherborne, whom he was planning to marry in September of that year (the joke was that her name would become Lisa Sherborne Seaborn). Sam's other romantic relationships include a "highly priced call girl" named Laurie, played by Lisa Edelstein (whom he slept with without knowledge of her profession), and Leo McGarry's daughter, Mallory O'Brien, a fourth-grade teacher.

Sam's trademark—both his greatest strength and greatest flaw—is his unflinching idealism. His unwavering faith in and love for the American political process and the positive impact that government can have in its citizens' lives define his character. Sam believes in doing the right thing simply because it is right, even when the consequences might be politically disastrous.

Another trademark of Sam is his ability as a speechwriter. After a pipe bomb explodes at a university in "20 Hours in America, Part II," killing forty-four people including three swimmers, Bartlet gives a speech, written by Sam, that includes the following:

"...More than anytime in recent history America's destiny is not of our own choosing. We did not seek nor did we provoke an assault on our freedoms and our way of life. We did not expect nor did we invite a confrontation with evil. Yet the true measure of a people's strength is how they rise to master that moment when it does arrive. Forty-four people were killed a couple hours ago at Kennison State University; three swimmers from the men's team were killed and two others are in critical condition. When after having heard the explosion from their practice facility they ran into the fire to help get people out...ran into the fire. The streets of heaven are too crowded with angels tonight. They're our students and our teachers and our parents and our friends. The streets of heaven are too crowded with angels, but every time we think we have measured our capacity to meet a challenge, we look up and we're reminded that that capacity may well be limitless. This is a time for American heroes. We will do what is hard. We will achieve what is great. This is a time for American heroes and we reach for the stars."

Bartlet campaign advisor Bruno Gianelli asks Sam when he wrote the last part. He replies, "In the car," which prompts the response, "Freak."

In a third season episode, Sam is awed by President Bartlet's foresight and wisdom when resolving an apparent impasse between the Chinese, the Taiwanese, and the Americans. President Bartlet predicts that Sam will run for President someday and should not be scared; Bartlet believes that he can do it.

For a while it seemed like Sam was taking the fast track to fulfilling President Bartlet's prediction. 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 deceased Democratic candidate Horton Wilde posthumously defeated arch-conservative Republican incumbent Chuck Webb. Sam suggests that Toby hire Wilde's campaign manager, Will Bailey, to replace him as Deputy Communications Director.

The election seemed to go badly for Sam in several ways: the DCCC operatives running his campaign weren't doing a good job, a visit from the President and several senior staffers went badly, and Sam spoke up for the President's tax plan which would involve tax hikes although Orange County had a lot of voters who were in the upper-class targeted brackets. Toby took over the campaign For three seasons, it was never revealed whether Sam won or lost the election, although a poll showed he was losing to Webb by a wide margin in the heavily Republican district during his last appearance on the show, until his return in the series finale.

Return to politics

Although Sam was mentioned occasionally following his departure (most notably calling Josh to tell him to "roll with the punches" after the latter unwittingly caused the defection of a Democratic Senator), he was not seen in the series until the final episodes of the seventh and final season, following the election of Congressman Matt Santos to the Presidency. Resolving the debate over the result of the California 47th's special election, it is implied that Sam was defeated by Congressman Webb and declined a promotion to Senior Counselor to the President. After summarily quitting politics, Sam remained in his home state of California and joined an unnamed law firm in Los Angeles which pays him a salary that would "make puke".

In a development reminiscent of his recruitment of Sam into Josiah Bartlet's campaign for the Presidency 8 years earlier, Josh Lyman (now Chief of Staff-designate in the incoming Santos Administration) flies to Los Angeles to offer Sam the post of Deputy White House Chief of Staff. Although initially hesitant because he is again engaged to a woman who's also a very successful attorney, Sam agreis intrigued by the offer. When he flies to D.C. to observe the transition team, he sees Josh lose his temper and berate a young staffer for no good reason; he then steps in and sternly tells Josh that he wants to be part of the Santos Administration, but will only come onboard if Josh takes a vacation immediately, and will fly back to California never to return if Josh refuses. Josh agrees to the deal, and the next-to-last scene of the series finale shows Sam and Josh meeting with President Matt Santos.

See also

• The West Wing
• List of characters on The West Wing
• List of politicians on The West Wing
• List of The West Wing episodes

References

1. Sassone, Bob (May 7, 2006). A look back at The West Wing: Entertainment Weekly in 60 seconds. TV Squad. Retrieved on 2007-12-15.
2. Sorkin, Aaron (2002). The West Wing Script Book. New York: Newmarket Press. ISBN 1-55704-499-6
3. Topping, Keith (2002). An Unofficial and Unauthorized Guide to The West Wing: Inside the Bartlet White House. London: Virgin Books Ltd.

• The West Wing characters
• Fictional politicians
• Fictional characters from California
• Fictional United States Democrats