A. J. Chegwidden

Infobox character
name = Albert Jethro Chegwidden


caption = John M. Jackson as Rear Admiral A.J. Chegwidden
first = Smoked (20/03/1996)
last = Hail and Farewell Part 1 (21/05/2004)
cause = Retired
occupation = Judge Advocate General of the United States Navy
title = Rear Admiral
portrayer = John M. Jackson
Rear Admiral Albert Jethro 'A.J.' Chegwidden JAGC, USN (Ret.), played by John M. Jackson, was the Judge Advocate General of the United States Navy until his retirement in May 2004 on the fictional television series JAG. Chegwidden succeeded Rear Admiral Al Brovo, USN (Kevin Dunn) in 1996 and his successor is Major General Gordon M. Cresswell, USMC (David Andrews). Not only being the superior of Harmon Rabb, Jr. and Sarah MacKenzie, he often instinctively turned into a missing father figure - providing not only comical relief, it was also a reflection on their respective personal backgrounds.

Family

The family background of Chegwidden himself has never been revealed. At age 24, he married Marcella, the daughter of the Mayor of Naples, Italy. In 1972 their daughter, Francesca, was born. Sometime in the 1970s, they divorced and his ex-wife received custody of Francesca. Marcella remarried, to an Italian man named Vittorio Parreti, who was later murdered. Chegwidden has said that although he is proud of his daughter, he wishes that he would have spent more time with her. Francesca ran into problems when she fell in love with mafia member Luciano Antinori.

He has had other romances throughout the years (with judge Laura Delaney and Dr. Sydney Walden) but nothing really came from them. His last and longer romance in the series was with Meredith Cavanaugh. They meet when she went to JAG headquarters to meet with Col. MacKenzie, but he thought she was another attempt at matchmaking from his subordinates. He later learned that Col. MacKenzie wanted to speak with her about a course she wanted her "little sister" Chloe to attend and he apologized. They bonded over their common interest for Shakespeare. [cite episode |title= Exculpatory Evidence |series= JAG |serieslink= JAG |season= 7 |number= 17] Although the Admiral and Meredith got engaged near the end of Season 8, he found out she was cheating on him in Season 9 and ended their engagement on the spot.

Lt. Bud Roberts and his wife Harriet Sims named their first son A.J. after him. During episodes where he is stuck at home, he is often kept company by a German shepherd named "Dammit", whom he encountered when he was accidentally ejected from an F-14 piloted by Commander Rabb into a blizzard-covered forest in Virginia.

Career

Chegwidden was a talented pitcher in his High School baseball team. The Cleveland Indians drafted him, but instead he chose to accept his admittance to the United States Naval Academy. After graduating from the Academy he went on to become a Navy SEAL, serving with valor and distinction in the Vietnam War. When the war had ended he transferred to Surface Warfare, serving onboard destroyers and later held command of one. During the 1980s, his career took yet another turns as he left Surface Warfare and went to Law School. Now being a member of the Navy's JAG Corps he rose quickly through the ranks serving as the head of JAG in the Pacific before being appointed Judge Advocate General of the United States Navy in 1996.

He is a member of the Bar Associations of Virginia, Maryland and New York.

Awards and decorations

In Order of Precedence

References