Delores Landingham was a regular supporting character in the first two seasons of the NBC television series The West Wing.
| Delores Landingham | |
|---|---|
| File:Kathryn Joosten.jpg Kathryn Joosten as Delores Landingham | |
| First appearance | Pilot |
| Last appearance | Debate Camp (flashback) spoilers below |
| Created by | Aaron Sorkin |
| Portrayed by | Kathryn Joosten Kirsten Nelson ("Two Cathedrals" flashbacks) |
| In-universe information | |
| Occupation | White House Presidential Secretary (Seasons 1-2) |
| Spouse | Henry Landingham (deceased) |
| Children | two sons (deceased) |
Mrs. Landingham (portrayed primarily by actress Kathryn Joosten, and Kirsten Nelson in a flashback episode) was President Josiah Bartlet's secretary. She was an older, matronly woman who could 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. In flashbacks it was revealed that she had known the President since 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 presumedly during his other offices as well). She described 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 was a widow by the time she worked in the White House, and her twin sons had been killed in the Vietnam War on Christmas Eve. 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 was learned in the first season episode "In Exelcias Deo"). That would put Mrs. Landingham's age at around 70, or even more than that (Joosten herself was 60 at the time).
She was 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 was the site of the accident). 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. (See Memorials to Delores Landingham).[1]
See also
References
- ^ "California Assembly Mourns TV Character", Associated Press, 2001-05-10