Bartlet's Daughters

family-oriented politically inquisitive resilient amid threats warmly familial

President Josiah Bartlet's daughters—Zoey, Elizabeth, and Ellie—ground his leadership in family priorities amid White House pressures. Bartlet checks their safety during threats like the Kennison State pipe-bombing. They question Abbey on the Vickie Hilton naval case, linking personal views to military policy for women. Abbey teases Bartlet about sneaking them candy, capturing private warmth. At a DNC luncheon, Abbey jokes they form core 'Bartlet women' with her mother-in-law, blending family into public honors and political optics.

6 appearances

First Family politics

Also known as: Bartlet's daughters, the girls, my daughters, his daughters, the kids

Bartlet's Daughters's Journey

A timeline through the narrative

6 moments

S4E3 · College Kids

Briefing and Personal Alarm: Bombing Ties, Aide Vetting, Bartlet's Reach for Family

Not present; represented as potential victims/concern points for the President.

Bartlet's daughters are invoked when the President, suddenly private and fearful, asks Charlie to call them; they are not present but become the human locus of the President's anxiety.

View full event

S4E4 · The Red Mass

Pilot's Signal: Stackhouse's Quiet Endorsement and Bartlet's Public Choice

Not present; referenced to increase perceived risk to the President.

Bartlet's children are invoked by Toby as hypothetical targets; they are not present but their mention functions to amplify Toby's protective alarm and the calculus of risk.

View full event

S4E10 · Arctic Radar

Shielding Berryhill's Cabinet Seat

Concerned and vocal (inferred from Bartlet's remark that he has been hearing from them).

Referenced collectively as having joined Abbey in raising concerns; their presence is invoked to explain Bartlet's sensitivity to the political and moral dimensions.

View full event

S4E10 · Arctic Radar

Keeping Hilton Out of the Oval

Concerned (as relayed by Bartlet); their worries add a personal stake to the political decision.

Bartlet's daughters are cited by the President as raising objections alongside Abbey, providing familial pressure and representing a private constituency in the decision calculus.

View full event

S4E15 · Inauguration Part II: Over There

Candy Confession and Quiet Duty

Content and indulgent by implication — the girls are recipients of Dad's sneaky generosity, creating a cozy backdrop.

Mentioned by name during the exchange: Abbey asks 'You gave the girls candy?' and refers to 'the kids' being in another room; the daughters are not present but are the …

View full event

S4E15 · Inauguration Part II: Over There

Defend Everything, Defend Nothing

Not present in the room; emotionally neutral and content, serving primarily as background warmth that highlights the parents' roles.

Referenced in conversation as 'the girls' who were given candy and who watched a movie in another room; they function as the domestic anchor and softening element in Bartlet and …

View full event