Lee Stetson
Code Name: Scarecrow
Born: June 17, 1950, Washington, DC, USA
Occupation: Intelligence Operative
🕒 Timeline
Lee Stetson is the son of Matthew Davis Stetson and the former Jennifer Kay Hamilton. He grew up believing his parents met while his mother was a part of the British delegation during the NATO Treaty Talks; however, in his mid-thirties, he learned his parents actually met while working as intelligence operatives during World War II.
While he has warm memories of his parents, unfortunately, Lee was orphaned on September 18, 1955, at the age of five. He was primarily raised by his paternal half-uncle, Colonel (Ret.) Robert Clayton, USAF. He primarily grew up on Air Force bases located around the world, including Guam, Germany, and several places in the United States.
Lee is fluent in French and Dutch, and has functional operating capacity in German and Russian. He also has basic communication skills in Italian, Vietnamese, and Urdu.
After his graduation from Ramstein High School, Lee attended two different universities on football scholarships. His primary major at the time was partying, and this was reflected in his grades; both schools placed him on academic suspension after one semester. In early 1969, he received notice that his draft deferral would be revoked as a result of the second suspension. Wanting some say in what happened next, Lee enlisted in the United States Army. He served a tour of duty in Vietnam, flying helicopters for Army Intelligence.
Matured somewhat by his time in the military, Lee returned to school as a more serious using GI Bill benefits. He eventually ended up at the University of Virginia as a history/political science major. However, in 1973, Harry V. Thornton recruited Lee to the Agency, a shadowy government intelligence service. Lee left UVA in good standing as a rising senior and finished the remaining requirements at the University of Maryland University College, graduating from there in 1975.
One of Lee’s earliest assignments with the Agency was with Paul Barnes’ Oz Network. During this assignment, he received the code name “Scarecrow” (a reference to the Wizard of Oz character), which became something of a nickname. During the next decade, Lee matured from a self-described hotheaded young agent into a seasoned field operative, taking on increasing levels of responsibility and leadership. He was especially noted for his skills with security system setups.
In October 1983, while on assignment out of the Agency’s Washington, DC, office, Lee inadvertently recruited Amanda King as a part-time, civilian assistant. Although he initially resented her presence, over the next few years they eventually became friends and partners. The relationship turned personal in 1986, shortly before Amanda was hired full-time as an agent trainee. Lee and Amanda were married on February 13, 1987, in Marion, Virginia.
Not quite a year later, Lee suffered a disabling injury while working on another case. This prompted a move from field operations to administration. In mid-1988 he was offered a position as the Agency liaison with MI6, stationed out of the London office.
Lee Stetson was portrayed by Bruce Boxleitner.
Timeline
| June 17, 1950 | Born in Washington, DC, USA |
| September 18, 1955 | Parents killed; placed with paternal grandmother |
| December 20, 1957 | Placed with paternal half-uncle |
| March 17, 1969 | Inducted into U.S. Army |
| March 16, 1971 | Discharged to U.S. Army Ready Reserve |
| June 25, 1973 | Begins working with the Agency |
| December 13, 1975 | B.A., History/Political Science, University of Maryland |
| October 29, 1982 | Begins affair with Francine Desmond |
| May 11, 1983 | Breaks things off with Francine Desmond |
| February 13, 1987 | Marries Amanda King, Marion, VA, USA |
| February 2, 1988 | Suffers a disabling injury during a case |
| June 18, 1988 | Leaves for London on a five-year overseas assignment |