Robert Alexander McCallister was a fictional character

Fictional character

A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...

 on the ABC

American Broadcasting Company

The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...

 television program Brothers & Sisters. He was played by actor Rob Lowe

Rob Lowe

Robert Hepler "Rob" Lowe is an American actor. Lowe came to prominence after appearing in films such as The Outsiders, Oxford Blues, About Last Night..., St. Elmo's Fire, and Wayne's World. On television, Lowe is known for his role as Sam Seaborn on The West Wing and his role as Senator Robert...

. He was believed to be of Scottish origin. Married to Kitty Walker

Kitty Walker

Katherine Anne "Kitty" Walker is a fictional character on the primetime showBrothers & Sisters. She is played by actress Calista Flockhart...

, he was a Republican senator from the state of California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, a former candidate for President of the United States

President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

, and a former candidate for Governor of California

Governor of California

The Governor of California is the chief executive of the California state government, whose responsibilities include making annual State of the State addresses to the California State Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that state laws are enforced...

.

Season 1

Robert McCallister first met Katherine 'Kitty' Walker when she interviewed him on her talk show. A recent divorcee with two young children, he was involved in a scandal regarding allegations of infidelity. Kitty was more interested in asking for his help to get her brother Justin out of being sent to Iraq

Iraq

Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....

, but Robert could do nothing. With Kitty's talk show folded, Robert asked her to become the communications director for his Presidential campaign. They soon began a romantic relationship, over the vehement objections of her gay brother Kevin, who objected to Robert's record on gay marriage. Thanks to Kitty, Kevin had a brief relationship with Robert's gay brother Jason, which ended badly, not doing much to endear Robert or Kevin to each other, but they came to an understanding.

Season 2

Robert and Kitty got engaged and had their party at Kitty's family home. Robert's own family, however, stole the spotlight. Robert came under the spotlight when the Republican primary for President kicked into a higher gear. During the Gulf War

Gulf War

The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...

, Robert was hailed as a hero for something he did not actually do. This secret was revealed during the primary

Primary election

A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....

, causing his opponent to question his patriotism. Robert was forced to hire a very skilled consultant named Isaac (Danny Glover

Danny Glover

Danny Lebern Glover is an American actor, film director, and political activist. Glover is perhaps best known for his role as Detective Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon film franchise.-Early life:...

), whom he disliked due to Isaac outing Jason while working for one of Robert's primary opponents during a state senate

California State Senate

The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...

 campaign. When Jason found out Isaac had been the one responsible, and was now working for Robert, he was furious, but soon forgave his brother.

Kitty discovered she was pregnant. She had a miscarriage

Miscarriage

Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the spontaneous end of a pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or fetus is incapable of surviving independently, generally defined in humans at prior to 20 weeks of gestation...

, but wanted to try again. This led to some tension with Robert, who didn't want any more kids, even though he'd told her otherwise. They worked out the conflict and got married.

Season 3

Robert soldiered on in his primary campaign, but eventually conceded defeat to the frontrunner, a deep conservative who had engaged in what Robert and Kitty saw as dirty tricks

Dirty tricks

Dirty tricks are unethical, duplicitous, slanderous or illegal tactics employed to destroy or diminish the effectiveness of political or business opponents...

. He asked Robert to be his running mate

Running mate

A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position but can also properly be used when referring to both candidates, such as "Michael Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen were...

, much to Kitty's disgust. Robert considered the idea, but ultimately rejected him. In a later episode, Kitty is watching a newscast about the inauguration of Barack Obama

Inauguration of Barack Obama

The inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States took place on Tuesday, January 20, 2009. The inauguration, which set a record attendance for any event held in Washington, D.C., marked the commencement of the four-year term of Barack Obama as President and Joe...

, signaling that the show takes place in real time with the actual winner of the race, despite the fictional candidates in this show.

Robert announces his candidacy for governor of California shortly before suffering a heart attack on the way to see his new adopted baby at the hospital. His recovery is a source of tension to his marriage.

Season 4

Robert steps down as Senator and his soon to be vacant seat is vied for by his wife Kitty, who during the first half of the season battles (and enters remission for) stage 3 lymphoma. Though his marriage with Kitty faces a number of bumps, he spends this season developing his skills as a supportive husband. Robert and Kitty renew their vows before her bone marrow transplant. In the season 4 finale, it's revealed that Robert's heart has been acting up again and he's taken to hospital following chest pains at dinner. The following night, his car strikes a truck as they are returning home. He was last shown with a gaping head wound, unable to communicate with Kitty and essentially dies.

Season 5

A year later, Robert is still in a coma with Kitty tending to him, refusing to let him go. The entire family is doubtful of his recovery chances and Justin finally tells Kitty that Robert wouldn't want this, using his last words to help Holly as proof. Kitty realizes he's right and shuts off Robert's life support.