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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. |
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. |
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| − | ===Bartlet |
+ | ===Bartlet Administration=== |
: ''To be West Wing-wikified'' |
: ''To be West Wing-wikified'' |
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| + | Toby was hired as White House Communications Director for President Josiah Bartlet. He later learned he was not the first choice for the job. His primary responsibility was to coordinate the "message" for the administration and ensure it is properly expressed by administration officials and allies in Washington. He was also the President's primary speechwriter, sharing responsibility for the highest-priority speeches with Sam Seaborn. In addition, he serves as a senior domestic policy advisor. |
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| − | 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.<ref>http://b4a.healthyinterest.net/char/toby.html</ref> |
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| + | He was close friends with the other members of the senior staff, and had a good working relationship with communications assistants Ginger and Bonnie. His prickly, dour personality was unsettling to strangers, but endearing to those he considered friends. Toby often threw a rubber ball at the window separating his office from Sam's as a way of getting Sam to come quickly. He continued the tradition when Sam was replaced as Deputy Communications Director by Will Bailey. Will, attempting to work out his frustration about the second inaugural address, shattered the window with a throw of his own. |
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| − | 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 Seaborn|Sam]] or, later, [[Will Bailey|Will]] in more than one episode. |
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| + | At some point early in Bartlet's first term, Toby separated from and later divorced his wife, Congresswoman Andrea Wyatt of Maryland. The two had clashed over Andie's desire to keep trying to conceive a child, while Toby wanted the couple to consider adoption. Three years later, Toby and Andie conceived fraternal twins; they named the boy Huckleberry ("Huck" for short) after Andie's grandfather, and the girl Molly after a Secret Service agent gunned down during the abduction of Zoey Bartlet. |
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| − | When he writes, especially when he writes important speeches, Toby apparently likes to have pie on hand at all times. [http://b4a.healthyinterest.net/char/toby_e.html] |
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| + | Toby was, along with the rest of the senior staff, in Rosslyn, Virginia when white supremacists opened fire on the crowd. Toby was unhurt but became concerned when he had trouble finding Josh Lyman. He found Josh slumped against a wall with a critical gunshot wound to the torso and screamed for help. |
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| − | 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. |
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| + | He was the first member of the senior staff (after Chief of Staff Leo McGarry) to learn of Bartlet's concealment of his multiple sclerosis. He figured out something was wrong when Vice-President John Hoynes held an event in New Hampshire, a critical state in presidential primaries. As Bartlet explained the disease and his concealment, Toby grew angry and confrontational. After cooling down, he offered his support to his colleagues when it was their turn to speak to the President. |
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| − | Toby's ex-wife, [[Andrea_Wyatt|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 Ziegler|Huckleberry]] and [[Molly Ziegler|Molly]]. Huck is named after his maternal great-grandfather, and Molly is named after [[Molly O'Connor|the Secret Service agent who was killed attempting to prevent Zoey's kidnapping]]. |
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| + | |||
| + | Toby was heavily involved in the 2002 reelection campaign. Along with Josh Lyman and Donna Moss, he was left behind by the Presidential motorcade during a campaign stop in Iowa. The trio spent 20 hours trying to make their way home, constantly running into obstacles along the way. Early in the day he lost a bet with Josh and was forced to say "I work at the White House" whenever he said his name. That evening, he struck up a conversation with a man named Matt Kelly, who had taken his daughter to visit Notre Dame but was worried about how he would pay for her education. After the talk, Toby and Josh were inspired to advocate a plan to make college tuition tax deductable for Americans under a certain income threshold. |
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Toby once had a crush or "a touch of the poet", in [[C.J.]]'s words, for U.S. Poet Laureate, [[Tabatha Fortis]]. |
Toby once had a crush or "a touch of the poet", in [[C.J.]]'s words, for U.S. Poet Laureate, [[Tabatha Fortis]]. |
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| − | + | During the final year of Bartlet's second term, a White House source leaked classified information about the existence of a military space shuttle to New York Times correspondent Greg Brock. As staffers were being issued subpoenas and intense scrutiny began to fall on Chief of Staff C.J. Cregg, Toby confessed to C.J. that he was the source of the leak. He was fired and became the target of federal prosecution. Because of this, he sat in the back of the church during the funeral of former White House Chief of Staff and Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate Leo McGarry. His relationship with Josh Lyman, already strained after Josh's resignation to run the Matthew Santos presidential campaign, was tested again by the shuttle scandal. Despite several tense exchanges, Toby unofficially advised Josh during the final weeks of the campaign. |
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| − | 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. |
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| − | 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. |
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| + | Toby was pardoned of his crime by President Bartlet, in what turned out to be the President's final official act before leaving the White House. |
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| − | 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. |
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===Post-Bartlet=== |
===Post-Bartlet=== |
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Revision as of 03:06, 1 June 2013
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 Administration
- To be West Wing-wikified
Toby was hired as White House Communications Director for President Josiah Bartlet. He later learned he was not the first choice for the job. His primary responsibility was to coordinate the "message" for the administration and ensure it is properly expressed by administration officials and allies in Washington. He was also the President's primary speechwriter, sharing responsibility for the highest-priority speeches with Sam Seaborn. In addition, he serves as a senior domestic policy advisor.
He was close friends with the other members of the senior staff, and had a good working relationship with communications assistants Ginger and Bonnie. His prickly, dour personality was unsettling to strangers, but endearing to those he considered friends. Toby often threw a rubber ball at the window separating his office from Sam's as a way of getting Sam to come quickly. He continued the tradition when Sam was replaced as Deputy Communications Director by Will Bailey. Will, attempting to work out his frustration about the second inaugural address, shattered the window with a throw of his own.
At some point early in Bartlet's first term, Toby separated from and later divorced his wife, Congresswoman Andrea Wyatt of Maryland. The two had clashed over Andie's desire to keep trying to conceive a child, while Toby wanted the couple to consider adoption. Three years later, Toby and Andie conceived fraternal twins; they named the boy Huckleberry ("Huck" for short) after Andie's grandfather, and the girl Molly after a Secret Service agent gunned down during the abduction of Zoey Bartlet.
Toby was, along with the rest of the senior staff, in Rosslyn, Virginia when white supremacists opened fire on the crowd. Toby was unhurt but became concerned when he had trouble finding Josh Lyman. He found Josh slumped against a wall with a critical gunshot wound to the torso and screamed for help.
He was the first member of the senior staff (after Chief of Staff Leo McGarry) to learn of Bartlet's concealment of his multiple sclerosis. He figured out something was wrong when Vice-President John Hoynes held an event in New Hampshire, a critical state in presidential primaries. As Bartlet explained the disease and his concealment, Toby grew angry and confrontational. After cooling down, he offered his support to his colleagues when it was their turn to speak to the President.
Toby was heavily involved in the 2002 reelection campaign. Along with Josh Lyman and Donna Moss, he was left behind by the Presidential motorcade during a campaign stop in Iowa. The trio spent 20 hours trying to make their way home, constantly running into obstacles along the way. Early in the day he lost a bet with Josh and was forced to say "I work at the White House" whenever he said his name. That evening, he struck up a conversation with a man named Matt Kelly, who had taken his daughter to visit Notre Dame but was worried about how he would pay for her education. After the talk, Toby and Josh were inspired to advocate a plan to make college tuition tax deductable for Americans under a certain income threshold.
Toby once had a crush or "a touch of the poet", in C.J.'s words, for U.S. Poet Laureate, Tabatha Fortis.
During the final year of Bartlet's second term, a White House source leaked classified information about the existence of a military space shuttle to New York Times correspondent Greg Brock. As staffers were being issued subpoenas and intense scrutiny began to fall on Chief of Staff C.J. Cregg, Toby confessed to C.J. that he was the source of the leak. He was fired and became the target of federal prosecution. Because of this, he sat in the back of the church during the funeral of former White House Chief of Staff and Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate Leo McGarry. His relationship with Josh Lyman, already strained after Josh's resignation to run the Matthew Santos presidential campaign, was tested again by the shuttle scandal. Despite several tense exchanges, Toby unofficially advised Josh during the final weeks of the campaign.
Toby was pardoned of his crime by President Bartlet, in what turned out to be the President's final official act before leaving the White House.
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
Behind the scenes
See also
References
| PREDECESSOR unknown |
White House Communications Director 1999 – 2006 |
SUCCESSOR Will Bailey |