Glen Allen Walken
Glen Allen Walken (sometimes spelled 'Glenallen' or 'Glen Alan' Walken) is a fictional character on The West Wing played by John Goodman.
Walken, the powerful and very conservative Speaker of the House, became Acting President of the United States in May 2003. Vice President of the United States John Hoynes had resigned just a few days before due to a [...] scandal and President of the United States Josiah Bartlet then yielded power temporarily under the terms of the 25th Amendment to the United States Constitution. Bartlet's daughter Zoey had been kidnapped, seemingly by terrorists from Qumar, and he did not feel that he could objectively carry out the duties of his office, under the circumstances. Walken was Acting President from approx 6.00 am on May 8, 2003 to around mid morning on May 10, 2003.
Walken resigned from his seat in the United States House of Representatives in order to become Acting President. While in office, he ordered the bombing of [...] training camps in Qumar, as well as a limited and temporary invasion of that nation. He also called the families of several soldiers that died in the invasion. After three days, when Zoey Bartlet was found and freed, President Bartlet then resumed his powers and duties under the 25th Amendment. Bartlet gratefully offered to campaign for Walken if he chose to run again for Congress, but Walken said, half-seriously, that the President would probably not be politically helpful in his Missouri House district. It is not clear whether Walken returned to Congress. (The Speaker is required by the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 to resign as he can act as President only "upon his resignation as Speaker and as Representative in Congress". Walken himself states that no one can serve in two branches of the government at once.)
Several months later, Walken attended the funeral of former President Owen Lassiter, another conservative Republican and, apparently, a personal hero. Bartlet and former President D. Wire Newman, a liberal Democrat, also attended. In this episode Walken is referred to as President Walken, however, the Presidential Succession Act states that no one other than the Vice President can actually become the President of the United States, rather they serve only as the Acting-President even though they can serve for a number of years. Therefore, Walken would actually never be considered a President. However, in the West Wing Universe, he could be regarded as a Former President, as the others, although he was acting.
Walken later ran for the Republican Party's presidential nomination in the 2006 election, but was unsuccessful, losing in the primaries to Arnold Vinick, a U.S. Senator from California.
Glen Allen Walken's hometown is Liberty, Missouri, a suburb of Kansas City. Liberty sits in Missouri's 6th congressional district, which is assumed to be the district Walken represented. He is also a great fan of Harry Truman.
Walken's House Positions
- House Majority Whip 1989-1995
- House Majority Leader 1995-2001
- Speaker of the House 2001-2003
See also
- List of characters on The West Wing
- List of politicians on The West Wing
- List of The West Wing episodes
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