the character is said to be based on former Clinton advisor Paul Begala who notes that some of Josh's experiences in the first season are some of the same experiences he went through. Character biography Personal history Josh comes from Westport, Connecticut. A Fulbright scholar, he graduated cum laude from Harvard University (where he worked at the Harvard Crimson), and Yale Law School, graduating c. 1984. He has been known to boast that he scored a 760 on the verbal portion of his SAT, although he claims, when trying to explain his lack of skill in serious relationships, his IQ does not "break the bank," so he had to work hard in college quipping that "by the time [his] roommates notched their 100th party of the year, I think I got my first full night of sleep." Josh is a non-practicing Jew; his grandfather was held in the Nazi concentration camp Birkenau during World War II. He had an elder sister, Joanie, who died when he was a child. She was babysitting him when a fire broke out in her home and died trying to put out the fire while Josh ran outside - an event which continues to haunt Josh. His father, Noah Lyman, was a lawyer and old friend of Leo McGarry. Although Josh thinks his father would have preferred grandchildren to a son in politics, Noah was proud that Josh was working for Bartlet and often bragged about his son to his friends and neighbors. His father died in 1998 on the night of the Illinois primary, after developing an unexpected pulmonary embolism while undergoing chemotherapy for an unspecified form of cancer. His mother splits her time between Westport and West Palm Beach, Florida, before she sells the Connecticut house. Though idealistic like every other member of the Bartlet administration, Josh is perhaps the most willing to resort to less-than-honorable tactics and on occasion suggests solutions and methods that others in the staff would not condone. It is known for Josh to resort to threats, intimidation, lies and even blackmail to achieve what needs to be done for the Bartlet administration. Professional history Before working for President Josiah Bartlet, Josh worked in several positions as an advisor and manager for Democratic politicians. Josh later became a staffer for then-Senator John Hoynes, the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination for President in the upcoming 1998 election. However, Hoynes's tendency