Percy Fitzwallace
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| Percy Fitzwallace | |
|---|---|
 John Amos as Percy Fitzwallace |
|
| First appearance | A Proportional Response |
| Last appearance | Gaza |
| Cause/Reason | death |
| Statistics | |
| Occupation | Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Seasons 1-5) |
| Portrayed by | John Amos |
| Created by | Aaron Sorkin |
Admiral Percy "Fitz" Fitzwallace is the fictional Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on the television series The West Wing, played by John Amos.
A commissioned officer in the United States Navy, Percy Fitzwallace wore the insignia of a Surface Warfare Officer and, as of 2001, had been in the military for 38 years. In a conversation with Leo McGarry prior to his retirement, Fitzwallace claimed that the last vessel he had captained weighed 7,000 tons - though no surface ship in the U.S. fleet has that displacement.
A number of episodes hint that the working relationship between President Bartlet and Admiral Fitzwallace was initially strained; in a fifth season flashback (set before Bartlet and Fitz have met), Bartlet blames Fitz for starting a war in the Philippines and plans to immediately fire the admiral upon becoming president. In the early season one episode "A Proportional Response", President Bartlet remarks to naval doctor Captain Morris Tulliver that Fitz and the other Joint Chiefs dislike him for his lack of military experience. Fitzwallace, however, later denies this, and throughout the course of the show is seen to be a close advisor to the President.
In the episode 'Stirred', White House Senior Staff suggest that Fitzwallace might be a feasible Vice Presidential candidate in the 2002 election, when the electoral math showed that Vice President John Hoynes would not guarantee a win in Texas and Florida. They discuss the fact that they don't know Fitzwallace's party affiliation and whether he would accept. (This would make sense, as he was appointed by the previous president, who was a Republican.) However, President Bartlet ruled that Hoynes had to remain the Vice President because of Bartlet's ill-health, and the issue was never revisited.
Like National Security Advisor Nancy McNally, Fitz has vacillated between being hawkish and dovish on the exercise of military force, opposing a move against Iraq during what was perceived as an assassination attempt on Bartlet (for example), but later proposing an invasion of Qumar in response to a terrorist threat. Fitz was the strongest proponent of assassinating Abdul ibn Shareef, a high-ranking Qumari official who was secretly also a terrorist leader.
Fitz retired almost immediately after the resolution of the Zoey Bartlet kidnap crisis at the beginning of season five, and was replaced as chairman by General Nicholas Alexander (Terry O'Quinn). At the end of season five, Fitz was killed by a roadside bomb during a diplomatic mission to Gaza.
It has been suggested that Fitzwallace was based on Colin Powell, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Persian Gulf War, due to his "reluctant warrior" stance on military force.
A source of humor in the show has been Chairman Fitzwallace's side conversations about such trivial topics such as shampoo, coffee, and carpet patterns, when not talking about military decisions.
| The Bartlet Administration | ||
|---|---|---|
| The President: Josiah Bartlet First Lady: Abigail Bartlet |
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| The Vice President John Hoynes (Seasons 1–4) Bob Russell (Seasons 5–7) Chief of Staff to the Vice President Will Bailey (Seasons 5–7) National Security Advisor Nancy McNally (Seasons 2–7) Deputy National Security Advisor Kate Harper (Seasons 5–7) Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Percy Fitzwallace (Seasons 1–5) General Nicholas Alexander (Seasons 6–7) |
White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry (Seasons 1–5) C.J. Cregg (Seasons 6–7) Assistant to the Chief of Staff Margaret Hooper (Seasons 1–7) Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman (Seasons 1–6) Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff Donna Moss (Seasons 1–6) Presidential Secretary Delores Landingham (Seasons 1–2) Deborah Fiderer (Seasons 4–7) Personal Aide to the President Charlie Young (Seasons 1–6) Chief of Staff to the First Lady Amy Gardner (Seasons 4–5) |
White House Communications Director Toby Ziegler (Seasons 1–7) Will Bailey (Season 7) Deputy Communications Director Sam Seaborn (Seasons 1–4) Will Bailey (Seasons 4–5) White House Press Secretary C.J. Cregg (Seasons 1–5) Deputy Press Secretary Annabeth Schott (Season 6) Media Director Mandy Hampton (Season 1) |
| These are the main characters on The West Wing. For a longer and more complete list of characters, see List of characters on The West Wing. |
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