| David Palmer (character) |
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David Palmer is a fictional character played by Dennis Haysbert as part of the television series, '' 24 ''. Palmer's ex-wife Sherry and brother Wayne were both key figures in his administration. He has two children, son Keith and daughter Nicole. LIFE IN POLITICS David Palmer was a United States Democratic Senator for Maryland who ran for President . He was elected after the Assassination attempts made on him were foiled by Jack Bauer . Although he initially sought a second term, he bowed out of the race after the opposing candidate learned that David lied to the chief of police in order to protect his ex-wife, Sherry Palmer , who was under suspicion for involvement in a man's death. Throughout the series, Palmer's role as president is often vital to the successful foiling of terrorist plots. Palmer is seen as a good leader who makes difficult decisions without much hesitation. On several occasions, his intervention as president and the execution of his presidential powers helped the Counter Terrorist Unit. At the end of Season 3, after a Presidential Debate , he decided to cancel his re-election campaign. His opponent in the election, United States Republican Senator John Keeler , became president in Season 4. However, after Keeler was incapacitated when Air Force One was shot down by terrorists, Palmer was called in to advise the Acting President , Charles Logan , the former Vice President . Palmer was assassinated in the opening scene of the Season 5 premiere. David Palmer has had many difficulties due to his political life. In the first season, Palmer was a viable candidate for the Democratic Party ticket for the presidency. His life was threatened during the course of Day 1. His political life was threatened on other fronts. His son, Keith, was shown to be a viable suspect in the murder of the man who raped his daughter. Palmer did an investigation, but found that telling the truth was preferable to covering it up with lies, and took a stand in favor of his son. However, he found out his wife, Sherry, was trying to manipulate him, both in that potential scandal, and the one Sherry tried to create. David was furious with Sherry, and divorced her. David Palmer also confronted Jack Bauer in person over the events of the first 10 hours of 24. He was no-nonsense, demanding a private, unrecorded interview with Bauer. Palmer, believing that Bauer wanted payback for the deaths of his covert operations team, started by demanding Jack to tell him of the other people involved in the assassination attempt on his life. Jack said he was trying to protect Palmer's life, which ultimately led Palmer to realize he was wrong about Jack and his motives. Jack had lead the covert operation which ultimately had cost him his team, but Jack had never known of Senator Palmer's authorization of the mission. Jack in fact had carried the guilt over the loss of his team into his personal life, leading to a separation from his wife and affair with Nina Myers (which admittedly he had recently ended). Senator Palmer realized through this that Jack had been through a bad day. He authorized Jack's reinstatement on Day 1. Over a year later, in Day 2, David Palmer is the President. He is alerted to the threat of a nuclear bomb detonating in the U.S. He also is informed that Bauer, now an inactive agent, has contacts with people who could lead them to the bomb. Jack ignored calls from CTU, but responded to the call from President Palmer. Jack became an active agent again and eventually caught the bomb and detonated it in a remote area. In Day 3, Palmer is faced with re-election. However, he is still the President, and is faced with many problems during the day. His lover Anne is implicated in a scandal, and although she is innocent, she leaves him. Palmer's brother admits his affair with the wife of one of his biggest supporters, and Palmer is forced to choose life or death for Jack. Palmer chooses death, but eventually is informed of a huge terrorist threat where Jack had to go undercover. He doesn't like it, but his faith in Jack prevails. However, Palmer falters in the end. He brought Sherry Palmer back into his life to help. She does, but in the end David can't agree to her terms (i.e. re-marrying her). He ultimately resigns, again preferring his principles over everything else. In Day 4, Palmer is an ex-President. However, Mike Novick , Palmer's former Chief of Staff, recommended he be brought in to assist the Acting President, Charles Logan, since the incumbent President Keeler was in a coma. Logan showed poor judgement abilities. He demanded the arrest of Jack Bauer, which deterred a potential opportunity to arrest the wanted terrorists. When that raid failed, Logan called in Palmer from Novick's advice. Palmer effectively led the events in the last part of Day 4, but realized that Logan was a politican. He blamed Palmer when things went wrong, but took full credit when things went his way. David Palmer was one of the four people who knew Jack Bauer was alive. He paid his debt to Jack by warning him about the Secret Service agent who was being sent to kill him and the Chinese demanded the man who killed their consul. In the opening moments of Day 5 Palmer was discussing his memoir with his brother Wayne, when a sniper from the adjacent building shot and killed him. It was later revealed that the assassin responsible had received his orders from Christopher Henderson , who also ordered the death of Michelle Dessler , Tony Almeida and Chloe O'Brian . Later in the day, he apparently murdered Tony Almeida himself. FAMILY AND PERSONAL LIFE Although not much is known about Palmer's family and personal life, he was married to Sherry Palmer, also an African-American, whom he divorced after losing trust in her. However, he maintained contact with her, using her as an informal special assistant during both Season 2 and Season 3's terrorism crises. He was horrified when she was killed by a woman Sherry had implicated in a murder. He also has a daughter named Nicole (a rape survivor) and a son named Keith, who was accused of murdering Nicole's rapist during his campaign for the presidency. Around the time he was running for re-election, he dated his personal physician, Dr. Anne Packard, a divorcee. On the day of the first debate with his opponent, that debate was complicated when his opponent brought up charges that Packard had conspired with her husband to 'cook the books' at a pharmaceutical company they were previously involved with. She was innocent and Palmer supported her. She sometimes came between Palmer and his chief of staff and brother, Wayne, who disliked her. On that same day, Packard broke up with him because his life was too complicated for her to continue the relationship. EXPERIENCE
EDUCATION
HONORS
PUBLISHED PAPERS
VOTING HISTORY (PRE-SEASON 1) MAJOR LEGISLATION
SELECTED CABINET AND ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS
CONTROVERSIAL DECISIONS
ASSASSINATION David Palmer was the victim of several assassination attempts before he was successfully killed in Day 5. During a campaign speech on Day one around 7:55 AM a man posing as photographer Martin Belkin planned to shoot Palmer, but Jack Bauer created a disturbance to get Palmer out of the room. Later into Day 1 (around 10:55 PM) the Drazen family attempted to kill the president with a bomb in a cell phone Bauer had brought to Palmer. Finally, in the closing moments of Day 2 (around 7:59 AM) Palmer was exposed to an unknown toxic material by an assailant known only as "Mandy". Moments into the opening of the Season 5 premiere, at about 7:03 AM, David Palmer was killed by a sniper from another nearby building with a .308 (NATO 7.62x51mm) round to the throat in order to prevent him from informing Martha Logan, the wife of President Logan, about an impending attack. He had called her some time prior to his assassination with the intent of talking to her about a "matter of national security". It was later revealed that he was attempting to approach Martha because he knew that her husband was in on the plot. At the time of his Assassination , David was working on his Memoirs with his brother, Wayne . David was 55. He was mourned by the nation and by politicians, Democrat and Republican alike. In the words of Vice President Hal Gardner to Wayne Palmer, "Your brother was one of the greatest men ever to hold the office." BODY FLOWN TO WASHINGTON D.C. David Palmer's body will be placed on a plane and flown from Los Angeles to Washington D.C. The flight is scheduled to depart from a U.S. Military Air Base at 7:00 a.m. |
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