Toby Ziegler

Toby Ziegler
Record
Date of Birth	December 23, 1954
From	New York City
Titles	White House Communications Director (1999 - 2006)
Backstage
Portrayed by	Richard Schiff
Season(s)	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
First seen	Pilot
Last seen	Institutional Memory

Tobias "Toby" Zachary Ziegler, Ph.D. was the White House Communications Director for seven years under President Josiah Bartlet.

Biography

Prior to Bartlet Administration

Tobias "Toby" Ziegler was born and raised in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn in New York City.  His father, Jules "Julie" Ziegler, had been involved in organized crime since before his son's birth.  Toby had a brother, David, who was a NASA astronaut.  He was raised a diehard fan of the New York Yankees, and often expressed his disdain at the team's rivals in the American League East division. Toby claimed at one point to have seen 441 games at Yankee Stadium.

A longtime professional political operative, Toby worked on a city council campaign, two Congressional races, Senatorial and gubernatorial races and the two Bartlet presidential campaigns.  The 1998 Presidential Election was his first win on a campaign.

Bartlet's Terms

To be West Wing-wikified

In addition to being in charge of the message for the Bartlet administration as the Communcations Director, he is a Senior Domestic Policy Advisor to the President.

Toby can be seen throwing a ball (most likely a Spaldeen stickball from his memories of growing up in Brooklyn) against the wall as a way to brainstorm or fetch Sam or, later, Will in more than one episode.

When he writes, especially when he writes important speeches, Toby apparently likes to have pie on hand at all times. [1]

Toby gets along well with his assistants, Ginger and Bonnie. He also has a close relationship with his first Deputy Communications Director, Sam Seaborn, which is occasionally tested through the first four seasons.

Toby's ex-wife, Andrea 'Andie' Wyatt, is a U.S. Congresswoman in the Maryland 5th and liberal Democrat. Early in the fourth season, it was revealed that Toby and his ex-wife had conceived twins together. Andi is later sued by a right wing group on grounds that her nondisclosure of her pregnancy during her campaign for re-election constituted election fraud. She has repeatedly turned down Toby's proposals for re-marriage. Toby and Andrea's children were born the same day that Zoey Bartlet, President Bartlet's daughter, was kidnapped. They are named Huckleberry and Molly. Huck is named after his maternal great-grandfather, and Molly is named after the Secret Service agent who was killed attempting to prevent Zoey's kidnapping.

Toby once had a crush or "a touch of the poet", in C.J.'s words, for U.S. Poet Laureate, Tabatha Fortis.

Near the end of Bartlet's second term, Toby leaked classified information to the press regarding the existence of a military space shuttle. His reasons for doing so stemmed from a crisis in space involving trapped orbiting astronauts and his own reluctance at using space for military purposes. In any case, it is unclear where he learned this information. It is possible that he learned it from C.J. Cregg, or from Leo McGarry, neither of whom was authorized to reveal it to him. It is also possible that his late brother David, or David's widow, told him of its existence. Regardless, Toby has never revealed who told him about the shuttle's existence, although he has intimated that it was not his brother; little attention appears to have been paid to Toby's sister-in-law, though. (In "Welcome to Wherever You Are", he told his ex wife, who suggested naming the brother as his source, "I will not defame my brother's name when he had absolutely nothing to do with it".)

This leak causes Bartlet to fire Toby, and the president's anger and sense of betrayal is massive. Toby is also indicted for leaking the information, and faces a lengthy prison sentence should he be convicted. He refuses to cut a deal and name his source.

After leaving the West Wing, Toby seems to spend most of his time preparing his legal defense and giving depositions. However, he does find time to covertly and effectively advise Josh on the Santos campaign. He also attends Leo McGarry's funeral, although he must sit in the back and wait to leave until the president has left.

As President Bartlet's final act in office, he signs a presidential pardon for Toby, which saves Toby from prosecution, and at least partially heals their fractured relationship.

Post-Bartlet

By the time of the dedication of the Bartlet Presidential Library, they have clearly reconciled. At this point, Toby teaches at Columbia University and considers it "not a bad place to spend time."

Resume

Education

• He attended the City College of New York, but his undergraduate major or any postgraduate degrees are unknown.

Political History

• Political Campaign Consultant for the New York City Council
• Political Campaign Consultant for the Bronx Borough President
• Political Campaign Consultant for the US House of Representatives
• Political Campaign Consultant for the US Senate
• Political Campaign Consultant for the New York Gubernatorial race
• 1997-1998 : Communications Director for the "Bartlet for America" presidential campaign
• 1999-2006 : White House Communications Director and Senior Domestic Policy Advisor

Work History

• 2009: Professor at Columbia University

References

PREDECESSOR unknown

White House Communications Director 1999 – 2006

SUCCESSOR Will Bailey