In the TV series “The West Wing”, who was President Bartlet named after?

Josiah Bartlett (1729-1795) was a New Hampshire physician who originally served as a colonel in the colony's Royal Militia. Stripped of his post when he sided with the colonists when King George III began abusing the Americans, Bartlett became a congressman early in the Revolution, and was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence after John Hancock (At that time, the congressional roll call ran north to south along the Atlantic coast).

Premiering in the fall of 1999, “The West Wing” was a hit drama for NBC, chronicling the fictional presidency of Josiah Edward “Jed” Bartlet. Also from New Hampshire, Jed was written as a direct descendant of the real Dr. Bartlett. Bartlet attended Notre Dame University with plans to join the priesthood but changed his major to American Studies and Economics after meeting a medical student named Abagail, who would later become his first lady. The series ran for seven years, ending in 2006 with the end of Jed's second term and the inauguration of his successor.

Actor Martin Sheen (b. 1940) won a Golden Globe and two Screen Actors Guild awards for his portrayal of President Bartlet.