1. President Josiah Bartlett
Show: The West Wing Played by: Martin Sheen Ironically, Bartlett was only meant to appear in roughly four episodes of each season, because Sorkin was afraid that Sheens presence and the presence of the president would over shadow the rest of the staff, Sheens presence was so powerful that he changed his mind. Makes senseright? Bartlett is known as the best American president we never had. Hes a holy man (Notre Dame Alum), an Economic Noble Laureate, and his political history dates back to the historical Josiah Bartlett of the Continental Congress (also from New Hampshire) who was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence. Bartlett was everything we fear politicians are not: intellectual, tough, honest, virtuous, and puts people before politics. He was nice and approachable, but never backed down when he had to come down hard on his staff (he didn't abandon them either). He didn't back away from his second term when his presidency was tainted with scandal. We loved his speeches, his arguments, and his dorky-dad fun facts (e.g. You know, after the Civil War, veterans had to come to D.C. to get their pensions? They had to visit the office personally. They waited for a clerk to look through all the Civil War records until their papers were found. You know what their papers were bound with? Red tape. That's where (the saying) comes from.) Bartlett has become such a polarizing figure in popular culture that during the last two elections, Sorkin penned a conversation between Obama and Bartlett, where the fictional president gives a classic tough-love pep talk to Obama (you can find them in the NY Times Opinion section).
Fun Fact: Bartlett proclaimed he had never lost an election; he sat on the New Hampshire House of Representatives for 18 years, US Congress for six years, Governor of New Hampshire for four years, and President for eight.