Lord John Marbury

Lord John Marbury is a recurring fictional character on the television show "The West Wing", played by Roger Rees. The character appeared in five episodes, first as an informal aid to President Josiah Bartlet during a foreign relations crisis, and later within the show as the United Kingdom's Ambassador to the United States.

He is usually called "Lord John Marbury" by both characters on and fans of "The West Wing", a style that would be appropriate for the younger son of a Duke or Marquess. His "full name" has been given as "John, Lord Marbury, Earl of Croy, Earl of Sherborne, Marquess of Needham and Dolby, Baronet of Brycey."

Character backstory

Through conversations within the show, the character's family background and experience are described. He is a descendant, on his mother's side of the family, of Princess Alice, the third child of Queen Victoria. His great great grandfather was a viceroy (presumably of either India or Ireland).

He was educated at the University of Cambridge and the University of Paris-La Sorbonne. He then joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as a diplomat. He served as the British Ambassador to both India and Pakistan, thus becoming a world-renowned expert on the affairs of the subcontinent.

Personality and relationship with other characters

Lord Marbury is an eccentric character. Bartlet's Chief of Staff, Leo McGarry, dislikes him. Leo once sarcastically referred to Lord Marbury as "Lord Fauntleroy", while C. J. Cregg once called him "Lord Flibbertigibbet." Lord Marbury, for his part, refers to Leo as "Gerald", and pretends to mistake him for the White House butler.

Lord John has upset some women—and President Bartlet—in the White House by making salacious comments, but First Lady Abbey Bartlet finds him charming. Josh's assistant Donna Moss asked him if there were any eligible bachelors in the British royal family. He did not name himself, but mentioned the Earl of Ulster, who was only five years old.

Appearances on "The West Wing"

Despite being a "lunatic Brit" (in the words of Joshua Lyman), Lord Marbury was able to help President Bartlet negotiate a successful end to the Indian ground offensive. His rapport with the US President did not go unnoticed by the British Government, and they persuaded him to return to the service and become the British Ambassador to the United States. Marbury continued to serve in this capacity through the remainder of the Bartlet Administration, delighting President Bartlet and exasperating his staff.

On one subsequent occasion, Lord John undercut his own Government's foreign policy position and advised President Bartlet and his Administration to take a different course. The British Government sent him to protest the White House inviting Brendan McGann, a prominent Sinn Féin politician, to attend a St. Patrick's Day ceremony, but privately told Toby Ziegler that keeping the invitation would help convince Ulster Unionists that they would have to negotiate with someone.

However, he was much more reflective of his government's stance during the crisis over the downing of a British passenger jet by Iran, when he explained the British Prime Minister Maureen Graty's reasoning for attacking Iran and rebuffed the Bartlet Administration's appeals for restraint.

Episodes featuring Lord John Marbury

*"Lord John Marbury" 1-11 (11)
*"He Shall, from Time to Time..." 1-12 (12)
*"The Drop-In" 2-12 (34)
*"Dead Irish Writers" 3-15 (59)
*"The Wake Up Call" 6-14 (124)

See also

*"The West Wing"
*List of characters on The West Wing
*List of politicians on The West Wing
* List of The West Wing episodes