Mrs. Landingham
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| Delores Landingham | |
|---|---|
| The West Wing character | |
 Kathryn Joosten as Delores Landingham |
|
| First appearance | Pilot |
| Last appearance | Debate Camp (flashback) |
| Cause/reason | Death |
| Created by | Aaron Sorkin |
| Portrayed by | Kathryn Joosten Kirsten Nelson ("Two Cathedrals" flashbacks) |
| Information | |
| Gender | Female |
| Occupation | White House Presidential Secretary (Seasons 1-2) |
| Spouse(s) | Henry Landingham (deceased) |
| Children | Two sons (deceased) |
Delores Landingham (known universally as Mrs. Landingham) is a fictional character on the television series The West Wing.
Mrs. Landingham (portrayed primarily by actress Kathryn Joosten, and Kirsten Nelson in a flashback episode) is the secretary of fictional President Josiah Bartlet. She is an older, matronly woman who can address the President in a very direct (almost abrupt), maternal way that would have been inappropriate and impermissible by other members of the White House staff. She is the only White House staffer whom the president nearly always addresses formally: he typically calls her "Mrs. Landingham," only twice calling her "Delores." In flashbacks, it is revealed that she first met Bartlet when he was a teenager in his native New Hampshire, where his formidable father served as headmaster of a private school. Mrs. Landingham was then the senior Bartlet's secretary. Mrs. Landingham later worked as Jed Bartlet's secretary during his tenure as Governor and President (and presumably during his other offices as well). She describes herself as a surrogate big sister to President Bartlet.
Originally married to Air Force Major Henry Landingham, who served in the Korean War, Mrs. Landingham is a widow by the time she works in the White House. It is revealed that her twin sons had been killed in the Vietnam War on Christmas Eve 1970. Their lottery number came up while in medical school and despite their parents begging them not to go, they decided not to get a deferment, wanting to "go where doctors were needed" (as is learned in the first season episode "In Excelsis Deo").
She is killed in a traffic accident after purchasing her first new car at the end of the second season (in the episode "18th and Potomac", which is the site of the accident). Her death affects President Bartlet deeply, as shown in the flashback episode "Two Cathedrals." Toward the end of the episode, a vision of Mrs. Landingham appears to him in the Oval Office, telling Bartlet that it would be cowardly not to run for re-election if he thinks he cannot win in the wake of the disclosure of his multiple sclerosis. Bartlet is later highly reluctant to replace Mrs. Landingham, until he meets and finally hires Deborah Fiderer.
The character's death prompted the issuance of memorials by several real-life newspapers and on the floor of the California State Assembly by Assemblyman Kevin Shelley.[1]
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[edit] See also
- The West Wing
- List of characters on The West Wing
- List of politicians on The West Wing
- List of The West Wing episodes
[edit] References
- ^ "California Assembly Mourns TV Character", Associated Press, 2001-05-10
