Clayton Endicott

*"Prehistoric men feared the sun, because they didn't understand it." - Clayton Runnymede Endicott III*

## Clayton Endicott

### Aliases

Skippy
Aneater Endicott

Clayton Runnynose

### Relatives

Clayton Endicott II (Father)
Benson DuBois (Distant Cousin)

Darwin Endicott (Brother)

Unnamed Sister

Prince Maurice Claude (Ancestor)

### Occupation

State Budget Director
Formerly: Chief of Staff for Governor Gatling

## Appearances

### Debut

Benson - "Thick as Thieves"

**Clayton Runnymede Endicott III** (played by René Auberjonois) was the chief of staff for Governor Gatling turned state budget director at the Governor's Mansion and is one of the main characters on the ABC sitcom, *Benson*.

Clayton's unempathetic approach to getting the job done would be met with many allies and enemies whilst navigating a sly approach through the world of politics.

## About Clayton

### Early Life

Clayton Runnymede Endicott III was born to Clayton Endicott II and his wife, Mrs. Endicott in a wealthy household. His father was the owner of *Endicott Industries*. According to Clayton himself, he became aware of his uniqueness when he'd reached the height 5 1/2 ft. tall at the tender age of 4 years old. Endicott was also into theatre at a young age; originally wanting to be a poet.

As a kid, Clayton would attend private school, but was frequently bullied and teased by his classmates. He took it upon himself to boost up his own confidence by listing his good traits. His lack of inclusion throughout his childhood would ultimately result in a self proclaimed stuck up attitude when interacting with others, transferring all the way to his adulthood.

### Adult Life

As a young adult, Clayton would be an attendee of Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey, majoring in Political Science. Endicott would also dual enroll in law school, working his way through it by tending bar at his father's home.

Clayton would work under the secretarial pool in the Marines, also holding a position as a Marine lawyer prior to becoming an attorney. Clayton was also active in Foreign Service, touring Abu Dhabi during his voyage of duty.

### Political Career

In 1980, Clayton Endicott would be appointed executive chief aide for the fairly new elected, Governor Eugene Gatling, taking place of the previous chief of staff, John Taylor. In 1981, Endicott would expose a bribe to oppose a noise abatement bill from a representative of Richmond Airlines. The case would be heavily publicized; being depicted in local newspapers and television broadcasts.

In 1982, Endicott made a guest appearance on the talk show, *After Hours,* along with the dog from *Annie*. He was assaulted by a group of men shortly after leaving the television studio. Endicott suffered a minor head injury.

In 1983, Clayton Endicott would sue the state budget director, Benson DuBois, for defamation, after it was revealed by Governor Gatling's daughter, Katie Gatling, that DuBois had referred to Endicott as the American crook, Jesse James. Clayton would ultimately win the lawsuit, with DuBois being fined a measly $1 for the alleged damage.

In 1985 Clayton would be responsible for the *Endicott Commercial Development Act Bill,* which would be responsible for the commercial development of the state parks, following an indecisive vote from the state senate.

### Run For Budget Director

Endicott would be nominated for state budget director in 1986 under Lieutenant Governor, Benson DuBois. During the hearing, it was revealed by Senator Gate that Endicott had been staying with a ballet dancer from Russia named *Svetlana Petropoploska*. Despite it initially being deemed as a liability, referring to Svetlana as a spy, Endicott would ultimately win the vote of the committee.

## Relationships

### Benson

Clayton and Benson generally do not enjoy one another's company, with Clayton on multiple occasions openly stating his indifference towards Benson's views. During Clayton's time as Chief of Staff, Benson would commonly complete tasks in his own manner. This would provoke Clayton to pull rank on Benson in an attempt to get him back on task.

As Benson's rank rose however, Clayton's transparency would slightly arise, along with some envy. By the time Benson became Lieutenant Governor, Clayton began to become a lot more compassionate and open with Benson and a lot more envious. Sometimes Benson would even give advice to Clayton on general relationships with people and how to be more receptive. Clayton would often be more willing to offer Benson his political advice, with Benson being more receptive than before.

Despite everything however, Clayton does notice Benson's format of getting the job done and, on a very rare occasion, would compliment his work when deemed necessary.

### Governor

Clayton and the Governor carry a mixed relationship. Because of the Governor's high position over him, Clayton never minded groveling to get his way. Unlike his treatment towards others, Clayton rarely behaved in a stuck up manner directly towards the Gene, but was rather more annoyed at the fact that he wasn't too fond of him. Clayton kept working for the Governor for both of his terms in office. The longer the two knew each other, the more comfortable Clayton got with groveling to get his way.

### Other Relationships

Whether it be Pete who's annoyed at his snide remarks, or Marcy who didn't enjoy his bossy attitude, Clayton would clash with almost everyone in the mansion. Even Katie, the Governor's daughter, would chime in her dislikes towards Clayton; as he was clueless on how to communicate with children. Domestic workers weren't too fond of Clayton either. The Governor's chef, Mrs. Cassidy, never minded telling Clayton off when necessary. Former housekeeper, Gretchen Kraus, carried a similar, but more aggressive, attitude to Clayton.

Despite this however, the staff knew when to soften up to Clayton, respecting his eye for political success, while showing their appreciation of him every once in a while.

## Trivia

* Throughout all of his years in his attorney career, Clayton has never won a single case.
* As chief of staff, Clayton was one of the only staff members at the Governor's Mansion to work on Sundays.
* He doesn't like crust on his sandwiches.
* It was stated more than once, that Clayton plays basketball.
* He is notably prone to severe mental breakdowns, with the biggest example being in the Season 6 episode, "Jung at Heart".
	+ Also according to the episode, Clayton is able to paint.
* Clayton is fond of skunks and is fairly knowledgeable about them.
	+ Additionally, Clayton also prefers cats over dogs.
* Clayton has stated that being in an upset mood ruins his appetite.
* It is shown on more than one occasion that Clayton is a hypochondriac.
* Clayton carried a 3.6 average throughout his time at Princeton University.
* He has stated, and proven, that he is well versed in the contents of the Bible, as well as the Qur'an.
	+ He can also name all books of the Old Testament by heart.
* Clayton knows how to cook Spinach Quiche.
* According to Mary Lou, Clayton can make a "lovely Brandy Alexander" cocktail.
* Clayton knows how to speak the two major dialects of Chinese; Cantonese and Mandarin.
* His allergies include Pineapple and Cactus.
* He once won a literary merit award because of his poetry.

## Quotes

* "It has been my experience that being nice is counterproductive."
* "What's the point of having powerful friends if you don't use them?"
* "I'm afraid you've miscalculated the depth of my interest."
* "I don't get the big bucks to be Mr. Nice Guy."
* "I may not like people, but I know how to use them."
* "Prehistoric men feared the sun, because they didn't understand it."
* "I don't dislike any of you. It's just that I'm stuck up."
* "Somewhere this very moment some withered old lady with a simply fabulous duplex is about to croak."