Clifford Calley
Encyclopedia
Clifford "Cliff" Calley is a fictional character
played by Mark Feuerstein
on the television
serial
drama
The West Wing
. Appointed Director of Legislative affairs to fill the political planning void after Josh Lyman
left the White House
to serve as campaign manager for presidential candidate Matt Santos
. Realizing Lyman had left a big hole when he left, and that Calley possessed many of the same qualitites as Lyman, Chief of Staff
C.J. Cregg dragooned him into taking the White House
Director of Legislative Affairs job.
Calley is a Republican
, and took some convincing to join the administration of President Josiah Bartlet
, a Democrat. When Calley was majority counsel to a House
committee, he had a brief relationship with Lyman's assistant Donna Moss, despite their strong political differences. After being "traded in" as majority counsel for the U.S. House Committee on Government Reform for the committee's hearings on President Bartlet
's concealing of his multiple sclerosis
, he firmly insisted that a member of the committee should not be allowed to reveal that Bartlet's then campaign manager and later Chief of Staff Leo McGarry
, a recovering alcoholic
, had been drunk on the night of the third presidential television debate during the 1998 Presidential Election, as this was "not what the hearings were about", and that behaviour such as this was "why good people hate us".
Calley was educated at Choate Rosemary Hall
, Brown University
as an undergraduate, and attended Harvard Law School
. He was a lobbyist before joining the White House
. He always flirted with C.J. to get White House
M&M's
because his niece loves them.
As Director of Legislative Affairs, Calley, along with then congressman Matt Santos, was instrumental in successfully orchestrating a Democratic victory on a vote for Federal-funded stem cell research in the House. The strategy involved dozens of Democrats hiding out in the Vice President's office, as well as provoking Speaker Jeff Haffley
to call the vote while believing his opponents were out of town.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
played by Mark Feuerstein
Mark Feuerstein
-Career:Feuerstein got his break-through on television as a recurring character on the daytime soap opera Loving. When director Nancy Meyers was casting What Women Want, her daughter recognized Feuerstein from Practical Magic and insisted that her mother cast him...
on the television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
serial
Serial (radio and television)
Serials are series of television programs and radio programs that rely on a continuing plot that unfolds in a sequential episode by episode fashion. Serials typically follow main story arcs that span entire television seasons or even the full run of the series, which distinguishes them from...
drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
The West Wing
The West Wing (TV series)
The West Wing is an American television serial drama created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999 to May 14, 2006...
. Appointed Director of Legislative affairs to fill the political planning void after Josh Lyman
Josh Lyman
Joshua "Josh" Lyman is a fictional character played by Bradley Whitford on the television drama The West Wing. For the majority of the series, he was White House Deputy Chief of Staff in the Josiah Bartlet administration...
left the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
to serve as campaign manager for presidential candidate Matt Santos
Matt Santos
Matthew Vincente "Matt" Santos is a fictional character on the American television show The West Wing, played by Jimmy Smits. His initial appearance is as a Democratic U.S. Representative from Houston, Texas. According to West Wing writer and producer Eli Attie, Santos was based on the then...
. Realizing Lyman had left a big hole when he left, and that Calley possessed many of the same qualitites as Lyman, Chief of Staff
White House Chief of Staff
The White House Chief of Staff is the highest ranking member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States and a senior aide to the President.The current White House Chief of Staff is Bill Daley.-History:...
C.J. Cregg dragooned him into taking the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
Director of Legislative Affairs job.
Calley is a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, and took some convincing to join the administration of President Josiah Bartlet
Josiah Bartlet
Josiah Edward "Jed" Bartlet is a fictional character played by Martin Sheen on the television serial drama The West Wing. He is President of the United States for the entire series until the last episode, when his successor is inaugurated...
, a Democrat. When Calley was majority counsel to a House
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
committee, he had a brief relationship with Lyman's assistant Donna Moss, despite their strong political differences. After being "traded in" as majority counsel for the U.S. House Committee on Government Reform for the committee's hearings on President Bartlet
Josiah Bartlet
Josiah Edward "Jed" Bartlet is a fictional character played by Martin Sheen on the television serial drama The West Wing. He is President of the United States for the entire series until the last episode, when his successor is inaugurated...
's concealing of his multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
, he firmly insisted that a member of the committee should not be allowed to reveal that Bartlet's then campaign manager and later Chief of Staff Leo McGarry
Leo McGarry
Leo Thomas McGarry is a fictional character played by John Spencer on the television serial drama The West Wing. The role earned Spencer the 2002 Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. McGarry's character, the former United States Secretary of Labor, begins the series as the White...
, a recovering alcoholic
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
, had been drunk on the night of the third presidential television debate during the 1998 Presidential Election, as this was "not what the hearings were about", and that behaviour such as this was "why good people hate us".
Calley was educated at Choate Rosemary Hall
Choate Rosemary Hall
Choate Rosemary Hall is a private, college-preparatory, coeducational boarding school located in Wallingford, Connecticut...
, Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
as an undergraduate, and attended Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
. He was a lobbyist before joining the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
. He always flirted with C.J. to get White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
M&M's
M&M's
M&M's are dragée-like "colorful button-shaped candies" produced by Mars, Incorporated...
because his niece loves them.
As Director of Legislative Affairs, Calley, along with then congressman Matt Santos, was instrumental in successfully orchestrating a Democratic victory on a vote for Federal-funded stem cell research in the House. The strategy involved dozens of Democrats hiding out in the Vice President's office, as well as provoking Speaker Jeff Haffley
Jeff Haffley
Jeffrey Haffley, played by Steven Culp, is a recurring fictional character on the American television show The West Wing. A staunch Republican, Jeff Haffley replaces Glen Allen Walken as Speaker of the House early in the fifth season...
to call the vote while believing his opponents were out of town.