Will Bailey
Encyclopedia
William "Will" Bailey, is a fictional character
played by Joshua Malina
on the television
serial
drama
The West Wing, holding various posts in the White House Office of Communications, Office of the Vice President and a backbencher Congressman (as seen in Season 7, Episode 1).
, as his father was the former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Thomas Bailey, in whose ideological footsteps he seems to follow while making a name for himself with quiet resolve. Will is also an Air Force
reservist
, a fact that President Josiah Bartlet
applauds, serving in the JAG Corps
. In the episode Guns Not Butter he says he is an Eton
valedictorian
. He may have attended Carnegie Mellon University
, since he was seen wearing a Carnegie Mellon shirt while jogging at Camp David
. He appears also to have attended the University of Cambridge
, England
, since he claims he was "President of Cambridge Union Society
" on a Marshall Scholarship
. Will went into politics, working as a campaign speechwriter on three congressional races. These included the 2002 Horton Wilde campaign (see below) and a 1994 congressional race in Oregon's 4th congressional district
, in which Will's candidate, Chulo (D), had lost by 15 points to Congressman John Heffinger (R).
Will was originally introduced as the manager of the Horton Wilde campaign to represent California's 47th congressional district
, and he gained notoriety for forcing a run-off election despite Wilde's death, Sam Seaborn's arriving to tell him to shut down the "embarrassing campaign" (Will ignored him and Sam was won over by his efforts), and the seat's traditional status as safely Republican in the conservative Orange County area. Sam Seaborn
later ran in Wilde's place in a special election and recommended Will as his replacement as Deputy White House Communications Director
with a note to Toby Ziegler
that read: "Toby — He's one of us." Will had also ghost-written an acclaimed speech that California Governor Gabriel Tillman had recently given at the Stanford Club, which is what had brought his writing skills in particular to Sam's atttention, although Toby was more critical of the speech. Toby, after first meeting him, characterized Will as "deeply schooled in Eastern philosophy", but was won over by a 500-word "test essay" Will wrote about America's future foreign policy needs.
When Will moved into Sam's old office for a temporary three-week contract to help with Bartlet's
second inaugural address, he had to endure the requisite amount of hazing
from the White House
senior staff, including "Seaborn For Congress" posters plastered on the walls and people parking their bicycles in his office. CJ Cregg regularly put olives in his pockets and even left a goat in his office at one point. He slowly began to win everyone over, and Bartlet eventually appointed him to replace Sam as Deputy White House Communications Director
, although all of the staff writers quit afterwards and he had to turn a group of young female interns into a crack writing staff with help from his sister Elsie Snuffin.
Will left President Bartlet's staff soon after the appointment of Representative Bob Russell
(D-Colo.) as Vice President of the United States
, when he accepted Russell's offer to become his chief of staff
. The main reasons for his move to Russell's office were Toby's gruff attitude as his direct superior, and more significantly, a belief that Toby's tendency to personally take charge of challenges for the Communications Office would result in zero potential for Will's own job growth. Bob Russell's offer, in contrast, came with the explicit challenge to prepare the Vice President for a possible presidential campaign in 2006. Despite his initial distaste for Russell, Will agreed to run the Russell presidential campaign because, as a die-hard Democrat, Will saw the V.P. as the presumptive nominee in the general election, and wanted to get an early start grooming Russell for the Oval Office. However, in the episode "365 Days," Will secretly admits to Leo McGarry that he has doubts about his choice for candidate, and has been backing him so vigorously only because he has been accepting on faith that Bartlet and McGarry must have had noble reasons for selecting Russell as V.P. (as opposed to the other purposefully weak shortlist candidates put to President Bartlet by the Republicans and fellow Democrats eying potential presidential campaigns).
When Leo McGarry looked unable to serve as Chief of Staff, following his heart attack at Camp David, White House reporter Greg Brock suggested that Will might be appointed as Bartlet's new Chief of Staff. This was due to a rare meeting between Bartlet and Will about NATO peacekeeping, Will's experience with the military and his proven ability to "manage up", qualities that perhaps made him a better choice for the role than Josh or Toby. Ultimately, however, C.J. Cregg was chosen for the job and Will remained Chief of Staff and Campaign Manager for Vice President Russell.
When Russell lost the Democratic nomination to U.S. Rep. Matt Santos
(D-Tex.), Bailey remained on Russell's staff until White House Chief of Staff
C.J. Cregg "dragooned" him on very short notice to become White House Communications Director
after the firing of Toby Ziegler
for his role in the military space shuttle
leak. Since Toby had also been serving as de facto White House Press Secretary, Will also inherited that role.
In the seventh season he dated Deputy National Security Advisor
Kate Harper, whom he had initially clashed with over Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking but later became friendly with. This began when she asked him to Ellie Bartlet's wedding, but their first real date together was in "Running Mates". Their relationship was touched on again in "The Cold
", where they seemed awkward together.
On Election Day, with the Bartlet Administration soon to be replaced, Will reveals that he is considering a return to election campaigning, citing a job offer to run a Californian mayoral contest. This would mean leaving Washington, D.C.
and cause problems in his relationship with Kate. In the penultimate episode Institutional Memory
, Will considers taking a job as the Chief Executive of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
, but becomes preoccupied with the task of finding a candidate to challenge incumbent Republican
Congressman John Heffinger in the Oregon 4th
in 2008. Kate realizes that Will himself would be the perfect candidate, and insists that he move to Oregon (in time to gain residency status there under Oregon election law) and run for the seat.
By the time of the dedication of the Bartlet Presidential Library
in New Hampshire
three years later, Will is a Congressman representing the Oregon 4th
and sits on the powerful Ways and Means Committee. He describes himself as a "back bencher who may have a shot at chairman in 32 years." It is not revealed what happens to his relationship with Kate.
(although he did not appear subsequently in Sorkin's TV series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
). After the series spent much of Will's screen time establishing his struggle to fit in with the rest of Bartlet's staff, his decision to leave the staff in favor of working for Russell again establishes him as an outsider, while his later decision to pour his considerable political acumen into running Russell's presidential campaign frequently puts him at odds with several of the more familiar characters, most notably Josh Lyman
, who runs the Santos presidential campaign, and Toby Ziegler
, who points out (in the episode "365 Days") that Toby and Will used to make fun of Russell together.
The Josh/Will conflict in particular is an example of a theme that runs throughout the series—namely, the contrast between two different approaches to politics, Idealistic (Josh backs a long-shot candidate because he believes in the candidate's noble character) versus Practical (Will backs a candidate he is unsure of, because he thinks Russell is the best chance of a Democrat winning the race). Placing Will on the side of compromise and practicality contrasts sharply with his earlier idealism, when the character was introduced running a campaign for a deceased Democrat in a traditionally Republican district, and defending his actions as "a campaign of ideas."
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 Joshua Malina
Joshua Malina
Joshua Charles Malina is an American film and stage actor. He is perhaps most famous for portraying Will Bailey on the NBC drama The West Wing and Jeremy Goodwin on Sports Night.-Personal life:...
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, holding various posts in the White House Office of Communications, Office of the Vice President and a backbencher Congressman (as seen in Season 7, Episode 1).
Character biography
Will grew up in BelgiumBelgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, as his father was the former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Thomas Bailey, in whose ideological footsteps he seems to follow while making a name for himself with quiet resolve. Will is also an Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
reservist
Reservist
A reservist is a person who is a member of a military reserve force. They are otherwise civilians, and in peacetime have careers outside the military. Reservists usually go for training on an annual basis to refresh their skills. This person is usually a former active-duty member of the armed...
, a fact that 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...
applauds, serving in the JAG Corps
Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Air Force
The Judge Advocate General's Corps also known as the "JAG Corps" or "JAG" is the legal arm of the United States Air Force.- History :The United States Air Force became a separate military service in September 1947. On 25 June 1948, the Congress established an office of The Judge Advocate General ...
. In the episode Guns Not Butter he says he is an Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
. He may have attended Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
, since he was seen wearing a Carnegie Mellon shirt while jogging at Camp David
Camp David
Camp David is the country retreat of the President of the United States and his guests. It is located in low wooded hills about 60 mi north-northwest of Washington, D.C., on the property of Catoctin Mountain Park in unincorporated Frederick County, Maryland, near Thurmont, at an elevation of...
. He appears also to have attended the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, since he claims he was "President of Cambridge Union Society
Cambridge Union Society
The Cambridge Union Society, commonly referred to as simply "the Cambridge Union" or "the Union," is a debating society in Cambridge, England and is the largest society at the University of Cambridge. Since its founding in 1815, the Union has developed a worldwide reputation as a noted symbol of...
" on a Marshall Scholarship
Marshall Scholarship
The Marshall Scholarship, a postgraduate scholarships available to Americans, was created by the Parliament of the United Kingdom when the Marshall Aid Commemoration Act was passed in 1953. The scholarships serve as a living gift to the United States of America in recognition of the post-World War...
. Will went into politics, working as a campaign speechwriter on three congressional races. These included the 2002 Horton Wilde campaign (see below) and a 1994 congressional race in Oregon's 4th congressional district
Oregon's 4th congressional district
Oregon's 4th congressional district represents the southern half of Oregon's coastal counties, including Coos, Curry, Douglas, Lane, and Linn counties and most of Benton and Josephine counties...
, in which Will's candidate, Chulo (D), had lost by 15 points to Congressman John Heffinger (R).
Will was originally introduced as the manager of the Horton Wilde campaign to represent California's 47th congressional district
California's 47th congressional district
California's 47th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California based in Orange County. The district covers the cities of Garden Grove and Santa Ana and parts of Fullerton and Anaheim, and includes Disneyland....
, and he gained notoriety for forcing a run-off election despite Wilde's death, Sam Seaborn's arriving to tell him to shut down the "embarrassing campaign" (Will ignored him and Sam was won over by his efforts), and the seat's traditional status as safely Republican in the conservative Orange County area. Sam Seaborn
Sam Seaborn
Samuel Norman "Sam" Seaborn is a fictional character portrayed 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 throughout the first four seasons of the series.-Creation and...
later ran in Wilde's place in a special election and recommended Will as his replacement as Deputy White House Communications Director
White House Communications Director
The White House Director of Communications, also known as Assistant to the President for Communications, is part of the senior staff of the President of the United States, and is responsible for developing and promoting the agenda of the President and leading its media campaign...
with a note to Toby Ziegler
Toby Ziegler
Tobias Zachary 'Toby' Ziegler is played by Richard Schiff on the television serial drama The West Wing. For most of the series' duration he is White House Communications Director.-Creation and development:...
that read: "Toby — He's one of us." Will had also ghost-written an acclaimed speech that California Governor Gabriel Tillman had recently given at the Stanford Club, which is what had brought his writing skills in particular to Sam's atttention, although Toby was more critical of the speech. Toby, after first meeting him, characterized Will as "deeply schooled in Eastern philosophy", but was won over by a 500-word "test essay" Will wrote about America's future foreign policy needs.
When Will moved into Sam's old office for a temporary three-week contract to help with Bartlet's
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...
second inaugural address, he had to endure the requisite amount of hazing
Hazing
Hazing is a term used to describe various ritual and other activities involving harassment, abuse or humiliation used as a way of initiating a person into a group....
from 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...
senior staff, including "Seaborn For Congress" posters plastered on the walls and people parking their bicycles in his office. CJ Cregg regularly put olives in his pockets and even left a goat in his office at one point. He slowly began to win everyone over, and Bartlet eventually appointed him to replace Sam as Deputy White House Communications Director
White House Communications Director
The White House Director of Communications, also known as Assistant to the President for Communications, is part of the senior staff of the President of the United States, and is responsible for developing and promoting the agenda of the President and leading its media campaign...
, although all of the staff writers quit afterwards and he had to turn a group of young female interns into a crack writing staff with help from his sister Elsie Snuffin.
Will left President Bartlet's staff soon after the appointment of Representative Bob Russell
Bob Russell (The West Wing)
Robert 'Bingo Bob' Russell is a fictional character played by Gary Cole on the television serial drama The West Wing.After the resignation of Vice President John Hoynes due to a sex scandal in May 2003, the Bartlet Administration was forced to replace him with another Democrat...
(D-Colo.) as Vice President of the United States
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
, when he accepted Russell's offer to become his chief of staff
Chief of Staff to the Vice President of the United States
The Chief of Staff to the Vice President of the United States is the Chief of Staff position within the Office of the Vice President, part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States...
. The main reasons for his move to Russell's office were Toby's gruff attitude as his direct superior, and more significantly, a belief that Toby's tendency to personally take charge of challenges for the Communications Office would result in zero potential for Will's own job growth. Bob Russell's offer, in contrast, came with the explicit challenge to prepare the Vice President for a possible presidential campaign in 2006. Despite his initial distaste for Russell, Will agreed to run the Russell presidential campaign because, as a die-hard Democrat, Will saw the V.P. as the presumptive nominee in the general election, and wanted to get an early start grooming Russell for the Oval Office. However, in the episode "365 Days," Will secretly admits to Leo McGarry that he has doubts about his choice for candidate, and has been backing him so vigorously only because he has been accepting on faith that Bartlet and McGarry must have had noble reasons for selecting Russell as V.P. (as opposed to the other purposefully weak shortlist candidates put to President Bartlet by the Republicans and fellow Democrats eying potential presidential campaigns).
When Leo McGarry looked unable to serve as Chief of Staff, following his heart attack at Camp David, White House reporter Greg Brock suggested that Will might be appointed as Bartlet's new Chief of Staff. This was due to a rare meeting between Bartlet and Will about NATO peacekeeping, Will's experience with the military and his proven ability to "manage up", qualities that perhaps made him a better choice for the role than Josh or Toby. Ultimately, however, C.J. Cregg was chosen for the job and Will remained Chief of Staff and Campaign Manager for Vice President Russell.
When Russell lost the Democratic nomination to U.S. Rep. 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...
(D-Tex.), Bailey remained on Russell's staff until White House 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 on very short notice to become White House Communications Director
White House Communications Director
The White House Director of Communications, also known as Assistant to the President for Communications, is part of the senior staff of the President of the United States, and is responsible for developing and promoting the agenda of the President and leading its media campaign...
after the firing of Toby Ziegler
Toby Ziegler
Tobias Zachary 'Toby' Ziegler is played by Richard Schiff on the television serial drama The West Wing. For most of the series' duration he is White House Communications Director.-Creation and development:...
for his role in the military space shuttle
Military space shuttle
A military space shuttle would be the military equivalent of NASA's space shuttle. Many experts believed that it is extremely unlikely that NASA, the United States Department of Defense or any other Federal agency could keep the existence of such a spacecraft secret, given the official knowledge...
leak. Since Toby had also been serving as de facto White House Press Secretary, Will also inherited that role.
In the seventh season he dated Deputy National Security Advisor
National Security Advisor (United States)
The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, commonly referred to as the National Security Advisor , serves as the chief advisor to the President of the United States on national security issues...
Kate Harper, whom he had initially clashed with over Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking but later became friendly with. This began when she asked him to Ellie Bartlet's wedding, but their first real date together was in "Running Mates". Their relationship was touched on again in "The Cold
The Cold
"The Cold" is episode 145 of The West Wing. This episode contained the final performance of cast member John Spencer .-Plot:...
", where they seemed awkward together.
On Election Day, with the Bartlet Administration soon to be replaced, Will reveals that he is considering a return to election campaigning, citing a job offer to run a Californian mayoral contest. This would mean leaving Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and cause problems in his relationship with Kate. In the penultimate episode Institutional Memory
Institutional Memory
"Insititutional Memory" is episode 153 of The West Wing, the penultimate episode of the series.-Plot:The episode is set two weeks before the inauguration and the Bartlet administration staff is preparing to leave the White House. Most are seeking jobs in the Santos administration or elsewhere. C.J...
, Will considers taking a job as the Chief Executive of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is the Democratic Hill committee for the United States House of Representatives, working to elect Democrats to that body. They play a critical role in recruiting candidates, raising funds, and organizing races in districts that are expected to yield...
, but becomes preoccupied with the task of finding a candidate to challenge incumbent 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...
Congressman John Heffinger in the Oregon 4th
Oregon's 4th congressional district
Oregon's 4th congressional district represents the southern half of Oregon's coastal counties, including Coos, Curry, Douglas, Lane, and Linn counties and most of Benton and Josephine counties...
in 2008. Kate realizes that Will himself would be the perfect candidate, and insists that he move to Oregon (in time to gain residency status there under Oregon election law) and run for the seat.
By the time of the dedication of the Bartlet Presidential Library
Presidential library
In the United States, the Presidential library system is a nationwide network of 13 libraries administered by the Office of Presidential Libraries, which is part of the National Archives and Records Administration...
in New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
three years later, Will is a Congressman representing the Oregon 4th
Oregon's 4th congressional district
Oregon's 4th congressional district represents the southern half of Oregon's coastal counties, including Coos, Curry, Douglas, Lane, and Linn counties and most of Benton and Josephine counties...
and sits on the powerful Ways and Means Committee. He describes himself as a "back bencher who may have a shot at chairman in 32 years." It is not revealed what happens to his relationship with Kate.
Character significance
Will Bailey is portrayed by Josh Malina, an actor who at that time had appeared in every work (both on stage and on screen) written by West Wing creator Aaron SorkinAaron Sorkin
Aaron Benjamin Sorkin is an Academy and Emmy award winning American screenwriter, producer, and playwright, whose works include A Few Good Men, The American President, The West Wing, Sports Night, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, The Social Network, and Moneyball.After graduating from Syracuse...
(although he did not appear subsequently in Sorkin's TV series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was an American dramedy television series created and written by Aaron Sorkin. It ran for 22 episodes.The series takes place behind the scenes of a live sketch comedy show on the fictional television network NBS , whose format is similar to that of NBC's...
). After the series spent much of Will's screen time establishing his struggle to fit in with the rest of Bartlet's staff, his decision to leave the staff in favor of working for Russell again establishes him as an outsider, while his later decision to pour his considerable political acumen into running Russell's presidential campaign frequently puts him at odds with several of the more familiar characters, most notably 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...
, who runs the Santos presidential campaign, and Toby Ziegler
Toby Ziegler
Tobias Zachary 'Toby' Ziegler is played by Richard Schiff on the television serial drama The West Wing. For most of the series' duration he is White House Communications Director.-Creation and development:...
, who points out (in the episode "365 Days") that Toby and Will used to make fun of Russell together.
The Josh/Will conflict in particular is an example of a theme that runs throughout the series—namely, the contrast between two different approaches to politics, Idealistic (Josh backs a long-shot candidate because he believes in the candidate's noble character) versus Practical (Will backs a candidate he is unsure of, because he thinks Russell is the best chance of a Democrat winning the race). Placing Will on the side of compromise and practicality contrasts sharply with his earlier idealism, when the character was introduced running a campaign for a deceased Democrat in a traditionally Republican district, and defending his actions as "a campaign of ideas."