Passed Presidents - #28 – Woodrow Wilson

Trivia question of the day – What do Steven Cleveland, John Coolidge and Thomas Wilson have in common?  They are American presidents who are known by their middle names. 

The only president with a PhD, Woodrow Wilson gave up his law practice after one year so he could pursue the academic life.  He earned a national reputation and rose to become the popular and successful president of Princeton University before he was elected governor of New Jersey. 

 

Woodrow Wilson’s Bust in the Virginia Capitol [30 June 2008]

One of 19 presidents who were state governors, he was encouraged by the New Jersey Democratic machine to run for president - because he was too much of a reformer for their corrupt ways.  The 1912 election was a three horse race since Teddy Roosevelt broke with the Republicans and ran for another term on the Progressive/’Bull Moose’ ticket.  This allowed Wilson to beat the incumbent Taft and Roosevelt with only 42 percent of the vote.

Woodrow Wilson was president during a tumultuous time in American and world history.  A progressive, reforming Democrat, he oversaw many changes that are still in place today.  Congress and his administration created the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Trade Commission, the progressive income tax and the National Park Service.  State militias became the National Guard, the eight-hour work day was instituted [for railroad workers] and women won the right to vote.  He appointed the first Jewish justice [Louis Brandeis] to the Supreme Court.

Woodrow Wilson’s Sarcophagus in the National Cathedral, Washington, D.C. [22 April 2007]

However, he was not all liberal.  Born before the Civil War and raised in the South, he was a white supremacist who believed African-Americans were unsuitable for citizenship and unable to assimilate into American society.  He appointed old line southerners to important positions and they reinstituted official segregation in Washington government.  This action reversed racial hiring and workplace practices that had existed in some offices since 1863.

Of all the graves visited in this Quest, Wilson’s is the closest to my home.  He is buried in the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.  When the Cathedral was planned, it was envisioned as a place like Westminster Abbey in London, where so many of England’s most famous and accomplished citizens can be found in the walls and under the floors.  The idea has not caught on the same way here but a few notables can be found in the Cathedral, including Helen Keller and Admiral Dewey. 

Washington National Cathedral [15 October 2006]

Reelected in 1916 with the slogan, “He kept us out of War”, the second term was highlighted by our entry into World War I.  While it seems like an arrogant, political ploy, it was hard to avoid involvement when Germany was sinking anything that sailed the Atlantic AND encouraging Mexico to declare war on the U.S.  So, we entered the “War to End All Wars” in order to “make the world safe for democracy.”  How’s that working so far?

 

The former First Lady some called ‘The Secret President’ is

buried with her husband in the National Cathedral

Some believe that Edith Wilson essentially ran the White House for the last 21 months of her husband’s second term after he was incapacitated by a stroke.  She permitted no visitors other than his doctor and personally screened all matters that required the Executive’s decision.  This serious case of presidential disability prompted the adoption of the 25^th Amendment, 47 years later...we’re not ones to rush things.

Woodrow Wilson never fully recovered from the stroke.  He and Edith moved to a home in Washington, D.C. and he died 90 years ago today, less than three years after leaving office.

 Woodrow Wilson

28th President; Served 1913-1921

Born: December 28, 1856, Staunton, VA

Died: February 3, 1924, Washington, D.C.

Grave Location: Washington National Cathedral, Washington, D.C.

Dates Visited: 4/22/2007; 3/20/2010