Howard Stackhouse
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| Howard Stackhouse | |
|---|---|
| The West Wing character | |
| First appearance | The Stackhouse Filibuster |
| Last appearance | The Red Mass |
| Created by | Aaron Sorkin |
| Portrayed by | George Coe |
| Information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Senior United States Senator from Minnesota (D) Independent presidential candidate |
| Spouse(s) | Deceased |
| Nationality | American |
Howard Stackhouse is a fictional character in the TV series The West Wing portrayed by George Coe.
Stackhouse is a senior Democratic Senator from Minnesota (five terms) known for his staunch liberal positions. He is 78 years old when first seen.[citation needed]
He is a central figure in the episode "The Stackhouse Filibuster," when he conducts a one-man filibuster of an appropriations bill to secure money for autism research. A master of parliamentary procedure, Stackhouse keeps the floor for a long time by reading from a cookbook and from the books of Charles Dickens.
The reason for his determination to defeat the bill is made clear in the late part of episode, when President Josiah Bartlett learns that Stackhouse's own grandson is autistic. Despite the fact that the bill had been closed earlier, this fact convinces Bartlet to make a deal with Stackhouse and to look again at the issue. The Senator had not told anyone that his grandson is autistic as he did not want to use the boy's health for political gain.
During the 2002 presidential election Stackhouse runs as an independent candidate, on a more liberal platform than Bartlet, to raise issues. However, he drops out from race in October and strongly endorses the President. Bartlet earlier stated that he could not understand Stackhouse's apparent dislike of him, arguing that he was "the most liberal President under whom [Stackhouse] had ever served."
In The Stackhouse Filibuster it is also revealed that the Senator's wife had died a few years earlier, and that his personal hero is Hubert Humphrey. It is also mentioned that Stackhouse had run for president at least once during his five Senate terms.
