Mickey Horton

Storylines

Mickey was the middle son of Tom and Alice Horton and had four siblings: Tommy, Addie, Marie and, possibly his biggest rival, Bill. In the first episode in 1965, Mickey was introduced as a lawyer in Salem. Wary that there might be legal repercussions, Tom and Mickey went to the police station to talk to the chief of police and Julie.

In 1965, Mickey started a relationship with Diane Hunter, whose divorce case Mickey was handling, and helped her to deal with her teenage daughter Susan. Diane and her husband later reconciled, mainly because of Susan. After the David Martin murder case, they grew closer and became engaged. They married the following year.

Mickey took a sterility test, revealing that he was unable to have children; he forgot to review the results in the face of Laura announcing her pregnancy. He was unaware that his brother Bill was the father and that he had raped Laura in a drunken rage.

In 1970, Mickey had an affair with his secretary Linda Patterson. After he refused to leave Laura for her, Linda attempted suicide; news of the affair spread quickly in Salem. Mickey and Laura decided to stay together for the sake of their son. Linda learned she was pregnant with what she thought was Mickey's baby, but was later revealed to be an ex-boyfriend's. Mike learned about Mickey's affair in 1973 and confronted his father, who suffered a heart attack.

Mickey's brother Bill, a surgeon, performed a life-saving operation. Not long after, Mickey suffered a stroke and developed amnesia. Laura had started a relationship with Bill after Mickey's disappearance; she and Mickey decided to divorce. Mickey and Maggie remarried in October 1974 after they realized their first marriage was invalid due to Mickey's marriage to Laura.

In 1976, Mike had an accident on Maggie's farm that required a blood donation. Neither of his parents were a match, leading Mickey to the conclusion that he was not Mike's biological father. This was confirmed when he found that his brother was a match. Mickey's memory returned. He went to Linda to ask if Melissa was his and she said no. In a fit of rage at being lied to for years, Mickey bought a gun and plotted to kill his brother. The two fought over the gun and it went off, shooting Bill in the arm. Mickey suffered a mental breakdown in the aftermath and was sent to the Bayview Sanitarium for a year.

Following his release from Bayview, Mickey and Maggie adopted their foster daughter Janice. Mickey discovered that the anonymous donor was Evan Whyland but Maggie wanted to keep the baby regardless. Sarah Horton was born later that year; Mickey and Maggie were awarded custody over Evan.

Mickey was kidnapped by Stefano DiMera after Mickey discovered that Stefano was blackmailing Evan and that Stefano caused Maggie's car accident. Mickey was shot and convalesced at Maggie's house. They remarried in 1986.

In 1988, Mickey ran for Senate. His rival was Jack Deveraux, who was dating Melissa. Jack proposed but Melissa learned he was using her and broke up with him. Meanwhile, Maggie and Mickey's relationship had become strained due to the long hours Mickey worked. Maggie had an affair with Neil Curtis, the doctor who inseminated her. Sarah caught them having sex and threatened to tell Mickey; Maggie and Neil then revealed that Neil was Sarah's biological father, not Evan. Despite this, Sarah still told Mickey, who blamed himself for the affair. Mickey and Maggie eventually repaired their relationship and Neil left town.

In 2003, the Salem Stalker broke into the Horton home. Mickey was stabbed with a scalpel and Maggie was killed with a blow to the head from a wine bottle. After months of grieving, Mickey married Bonnie Lockhart. It was soon revealed that Maggie was still alive and had been kidnapped by the DiMera family and stranded on their island with other Salem Stalker victims. Upon her return, Mickey spent months unsure of whether he would stay with Maggie, whose "death" had nullified their marriage, or Bonnie, his current wife. He eventually decided to return to Maggie.

During the mid-2000s, Mickey was in Chicago covering several trials and was rarely seen in Salem. He appeared in the 2008 and 2009 Christmas episodes, watching movies and sitting in the kitchen with his mother. Before New Year's Eve in 2009, he called to tell Maggie he was unable to make it home to Salem; the two decided to spend more time together in 2010. They agreed to go on a cruise in January on Julie's recommendation.

Death

Mickey died from a heart attack while packing to go on a cruise with Maggie on January 8, 2010. A week later, the family held a memorial service, where Mickey and Maggie were both celebrated. Melissa attended the service to comfort Maggie. In June, Mickey's mother died of natural causes. Maggie and Julie celebrated Alice's relationship with her son, Mickey.

Mickey's cases

Mickey was usually seen whenever a Salem character had legal problems and needed an attorney. Despite this, he had a reputation for never winning a case; many of his clients ended up in prison for crimes they didn't commit.

Mickey represented the defendant unless otherwise stated in the table below; his role in the cases are listed. He spent a few years as assistant district attorney in the late 1980s.

Reception

Charlie Mason from Soaps She Knows called Mickey the "good brother" in comparison to Bill. Clarke was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in 1979 for Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of Mickey.

Notes

References

References

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14. (n.d.). "Thanks For The Memories, Mickey!". Jason47.
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17. (n.d.). "Maggie Horton". Soap Central.
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