Jake is Daria and Quinn's father and Helen's husband. He isn't highly involved in his family's life, and the thing he likes to do most around the house is reading the newspaper. He is also very easily excited, and any male who is unfortunate enough to wander into his house usually becomes a victim of his male-bonding attempts.

Jake is definitely the weaker part in his marriage, and thus far, he seems also to be the stupider part. He occasionally makes an attempt to be fatherly, but he usually fails, especially when his opinion doesn't match Helen's. He is very stressed out and pretty wrapped up in his work, and it sometimes seems that his family could disappear and he wouldn't notice, as long as his business was going well. However, after his best client fired him, he has taken to wandering around the Morgendorffer house wearing a red "Kiss The Cook" apron and cooking various pasta-concoctions.

Little is known about Jake's childhood, but he was supposedly traumatized by his father (who was commonly refered to as "Mad Dog Morgendorffer") who sent him to military school. After spending several years in military school, Jake graduated and became a flower child. He met Helen Barksdale, and they were married at a very interesting wedding. At least it wasn't in a hot tub.