Sam Seaborn Trivia

Sam is many things, but dull is certainly not one of them. He has a broad range of interests, skills, likes and dislikes, not to mention nicknames, all of which can be found listed here!

Deputy Sam also plays an important role in domestic policy, and he does a great job, despite being left out from time to time (enough of that!). All the trivia is here for your enjoyment.

Facts & Fancies

• Sam once tried to hit on Leo's wife at a party fundraiser. (1.1)
• He doesn't know much about the White House. (1.1, 2.3)
• Sam does not know any state secrets. (1.2)
• He can recite the members of Congress in alphabetical order. (1.2)
• Any kid with a decent paper route makes more money than he does. (1.2)
• Sam likes ham and cheese and chicken salad sandwiches. (1.7)
• He crafted significant portions of President Bartlet's stump speech during the campaign, his acceptance at the convention, his inaugural address and his first State of the Union Address. (1.8)
• Sam likes to watch Monday Night Football, and he participates in the office pool for Sunday's games. (1.8, 3.6)
• He enjoys getting his shoes shined. (1.8)
• He knows Al Roker went on a diet because he reads. (1.10)
• His Secret Service code name is "Princeton." (1.10)
• He likes to sail, though he has a tendency to fall out of the boat. (1.14)
• Sam is nuts for dental hygiene. (1.15)
• He goes to the gym, though not as often as he should. (1.8, 1.17)
• His middle name is Norman. (1.18)
• He likes turkey sandwiches, and he likes fish. (1.20)
• Sam is a Lakers fan, as evidenced by the shirt, poster and pennant hanging in his office. (season one, season four)
• Jogging and sculling on the Potomac looks good to him. (1.21)
• The First Navy Jack flag hangs in his office. (series)
• Sam likes hot dogs fresh from the street vendor, even at 9:30 in the morning. (2.1)
• He was Recording Secretary of the Princeton Gilbert and Sullivan Society for two years. (2.5)
• He has read Mao Tse-tung. (2.7)
• Sam is passionate about protecting the environment. (2.12, 2.19, 3.6 among others)
• His parents reside in the Los Angeles area. (2.16)
• It's possible Sam may have played the clarinet as a child. (2.16)
• He learns that his father has had a mistress for 28 years. (2.16)
• Sam's favorite fiction writer is Charles Dickens. (2.17)
• He was making $400,000 a year at Gage Whitney. (2.20)
• Sam wears monogrammed shirts. (series)
• Sam is knowledgeable on the subject of terrorism. (3.1)
• He is not Catholic. (3.3)
• He is not afraid of snakes. (3.3)
• When he was four, Sam wanted to be a firefighter. (3.4)
• He speaks Spanish. (3.4)
• Sam's dad was an Elk. (3.8)
• He drinks Jack Daniels. (3.12)
• Sam went to Dungeons and Dragons camp. (3.13)
• He knows how to play chess. (3.15)
• Physics is not his best subject. (3.16)
• Sam is not a big hockey fan. (3.18)
• He reads the Herald Tribune and Agence-France. (4.4)
• Bridges and tunnels are Sam's worst nightmare. (4.4)
• He likes to shoot hoops. (4.5)
• Sam can sing in Latin. (4.5)
• He can do an impression of Jimmy Stewart from It's A Wonderful Life. (4.6)
• Sam likes to stay at the Hotel Beau Rivage in Nice, Italy. (4.10)

Nicknames

Sam has numerous nicknames -- some from friends, some self-attributed. Here they are with their episode of origin:

• While answering the President's trivia questions over a game of poker, Toby calls Sam "Princeton." (1.6)
• When Sam claims to be navigating by the North Star (which turns out to be the Delta Shuttle from La Guardia), Toby calls him "Galileo." (1.15)
• When Sam attempts to take over his relationship with Mallory, she calls him "Skipper." (1.18)
• Sam completes a draft on schedule and proclaims that his new middle name will be "on schedule." (1.18)
• C.J. wants to talk to Sam regarding her necklace and addresses him as "Spanky," to which he replies, "Oh, God, what'd I do?" (2.2)
• In trying to convince Sam to take her with him to his meetings on the Hill, Ainsley calls Sam "The Master." (2.6)
• Sam volunteers to deal with the excessive number of reports issued by federal agencies, declaring himself "The Housekeeper." He quickly dismisses it as a "terrible nickname." (2.17)
• After getting great polling numbers for the State of the Union Address, C.J. calls him, "Sam, Sam, the sunshine man." (3.12)
• Coming to Sam for help getting out of jury duty, Donna calls him, "Sam, ol' man." (3.13)
• When she finds him sitting on the floor of his office, C.J. calls him "shmutsy pants." Word spreads, because Mallory later addresses him the same way. (4.1)
• Janet, the "third ranking non-male member of the minority on Ways and Means," says she likes to call Sam "cupcake." (4.4)

Policy Discussions

Here are some highlights of Sam's role as a domestic policy adviser to the President:

• He makes a recommendation to the President for handling Toby's predicament involving an internet stock. (1.4)
• Along with Toby, he heads up the selection and confirmation process for the President's nominee to the Supreme Court. (1.9, 1.15, 1.18)
• Sam wants to convince the President to stop the execution of Simon Cruz. (1.14)
• Sam works on developing a position for the President (other than "don't ask, don't tell") on gays in the military. (1.19)
• He argues that the President spend more on drug treatment than enforcement and that the racist nature of mandatory minimums be addressed. (1.20)
• Sam works on an answer to any potential questions regarding Cuba at the town hall meeting. (2.22)
• He recommends that the President support an amendment to a bill helping small businesses prevent employee fraud and theft. (2.6)
• The President asks Sam to help him develop a broader theme for the Galileo 5 classroom. (2.9)
• Sam convinces the President to meet with his energy and economic advisers to discuss the merits of tapping into the strategic petroleum reserves. (2.10)
• He writes a speech for the President that launches C.A.R.E.--the Clean Air Rehabilitation Effort. (2.12)
• The President asks Sam to offer any suggestions he may have for fighting the war on drugs. (2.14)
• Sam works on a list of recommendations of people who should receive a presidential pardon. (2.16)
• He works with other senior staff to formulate a plan for announcing the President's multiple sclerosis. (2.21, 2.22)
• Sam meets with Victor Campos, head of the American Federation of Service Employees, to ensure his support for the President in the election. (3.4)
• In order to gain a congressman's support for the President's education bill, Sam must research the pros and cons of eliminating the penny. (3.6)
• Sam meets with a representative from the OMB to discuss problems with the new formula for calculating the poverty level. (3.8)
• He recommends that the President support a National Seat Belt Law. (3.9)
• Sam works on the State of the Union Address, including a section about curing cancer suggested by the President. (3.12)
• He meets with the Vice President to try and save a bill: The Internet Education Act. (3.18)
• Sam negotiates terms for President Bartlet's summit with the new Russian president. (3.19)
• Sam spends the day in the Oval Office "staffing" the President. (4.1, 4.2)
• The President assigns Sam the task of lining up validators for the deductible tuition plan. He also works on writing the speech for Red Mass. (4.4)
• Sam plays the part of Governor Ritchie in debate prep with the President. (4.5)

Sam's Bio

Quotable Sam

Sam's the Man

Must-See Sam

Chivalrous Sam

Sam's Bullpen

Episode Guide