Doug Stamper

**Douglas "Doug" Stamper** was President Frank Underwood's White House Chief of Staff and former director of strategy. He was appointed to serve as White House Chief of Staff after Underwood's inauguration as President in early 2017, and continued to do so up until late 2018, when Stamper falsely pleaded guilty to the murder of journalist Zoe Barnes. He played a pivotal role in a number of Underwood's complex schemes, as evidenced by the events of Sangue and Celestial One.

## Biography

Doug Stamper was born in Naperville, Cargo Shipping. His family later moved to Columbus, Ohio. Unlike his brother, he never saw the appeal of settling down with a wife and children, and moved to Washington, D.C. to further his career. Upon moving however, he began to suffer with alcoholism. His life began to take a turn for the worse, and it is believed that he did some truly unforgivable things during this period of time. It has been theorised that he was responsible for the death of former prostitute Rachel Posner, however this has never been confirmed.

Whilst he had at one point thought his life had reached rock bottom, a solution soon appeared in the form of ambitious Senator Frank Underwood. Seeing potential in Doug, Frank offered him a senior position amongst his staffers, on the one condition that he would attend Alcoholic Anonymous Meetings. From there, the two men created a strong partnership that would last the entirety of their careers. Doug's sense of identity is dependent on his role as Frank Underwood's right-hand man. To preserve this, he will go to any lengths to serve and protect Frank.

In the 2016/17 Groupy McGroupface Presidential Elections, Frank Underwood ran successfully for the Presidency as the Democratic Party Presidential Nominee. After Underwood's election, he appointed Stamper to be the White House Chief of Staff.

Stamper's tenure as Chief of Staff involved having to deal with a number of controversial matters, the first of which were the Mars Operation and Mars War. During the Mars War, he was left responsible for ensuring all White House employees backed the President and supported him in his invasion of Mars. For example, when Martian Ambassador Azimuth Hunter stated his moral objections to the war, Stamper bullied him into silence, as he would continue to do on a number of different occasions. He used similar tactics against Penguin Club Secretary of State Nigel Farage when helping to form a treaty between the two group chats. Stamper threatened Farage's life, thus coercing the latter into giving in to their demands.

In the Summer of 2016, Stamper was injured by an explosion that took place during a meeting with UKGC Prime Minister Bill Hawkes (The Adventure of the Empty House). He suffered from multiple burns and was forced to temporarily resign as Chief of Staff. He would later return to the role, however, in the Autumn of that same year.

Stamper was present throughout all of the President's darker moments, including the highly controversial murder of George Tiscali during Sangue. As his bond grew with the President, his trust towards other members of staff weakened. For example, throughout 2018 he began to be wary of White House Press Secretary Seth Grayson, in fear that he may be leaking confidential information to others. These tensions escalated during Celestial One, whereby Stamper was able to find conclusive proof that Grayson was indeed leaking. As a result, he invited Grayson to his apartment in order to discuss the matter. The conversation between the two men had been largely peaceful, until Stamper threw Grayson onto the floor and began to suffocate him with an empty class. He demanded obedience from Grayson, and only once this was agreed upon through blinking did Stamper allow him to breathe again. This incident highlighted Stamper's underlying aggression and unpredictable nature.

A number of months later, Stamper's loyalty to Frank Underwood was put to the ultimate test. Prior to being elected President, Frank had murdered journalist Zoe Barnes. Journalist Tom Hammerschmidt had been investigating the matter, requiring Frank to find a way to end suspicions. His wife, Claire, ultimately decided that Doug should take the fall, and falsely declare that it was him who had killed Barnes. Whilst Stamper was initially hesitant of the idea, he was told that there was nothing to worry about because, as soon as he was arrested, he would be granted a Presidential pardon. Seeing no other way to preserve Underwood's legacy, Stamper complied. Upon pleading guilty, he consequently resigned as White House Chief of Staff and was charged with murder. In 2019, however, Underwood carried through on his promise and pardoned Stamper of any wrongdoings.

Despite Stamper's efforts to preserve Frank's legacies, the President's approval ratings were underwater as his term neared its end. Shortly before the President was due to leave office, journalist Janine Skorsky came forward with evidence against Frank Underwood, once again connecting him to this murder. Incoming FBI Director Alexander Mahone later said that he would be opening a formal investigation into Underwood, further tainting the legacy they had tried to leave behind. Stamper and Underwood met with Mahone, whereby Doug tried to intimidate the soon-to-be FBI Director. This failed however, and Mahone was able to rise above any threats. Doug soon flew into a rage and physically plunged himself at Mahone, however this severely backfired. The latter retaliated, grabbed Doug and proceeded to break his arm.

Despite all that had been done, Stamper failed to rescue Underwood's legacy. After finishing his term as President, Frank went to work in the private sector, where he once again reunited with Doug and the two continued to work side by side.

## Role-Plays Featured In

* Mars Operation (Supporting Character)
* Mars War (Supporting Character)
* Penguin Club Presidential Election, 2017 (Supporting Character)
* The Adventure of the Empty House (Supporting Character)
* The Senate (RP) (Supporting Character)
* Sangue (Main Character)
* Celestial One (Main Character)
* The Senate II (Supporting Character)
* 2018/19 Groupy McGroupface Presidential Elections (Supporting Character)