American President
An Online Reference Resource
Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924)
Facts at a Glance
28th President of the United States (1913–1921)
Born: December 28, 1856, Staunton, Virginia
Full Name: Thomas Woodrow Wilson
Nickname: "Schoolmaster in Politics"
Education: College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), graduated 1879
Religion: Presbyterian
Marriage: June 24, 1885, to Ellen Louise Axson (1860-1914), December 18, 1915, to Edith Bolling Galt (1872-1961)
Children: Margaret Woodrow (1886-1944), Jessie Woodrow (1887-1933), Eleanor Randolph (1889-1967)
Career: Professor, College Administration, Public Official
Political Party: Democrat
Writings: George Washington (1896), A History of the American People (5 vols., 1902), Constitutional Government in the United States (1908), Papers of Woodrow Wilson (1966-), ed. by Arthur S. Link, et al.
Died: February 3, 1924, Washington, D.C.
Buried: National Cathedral, Washington, D.C.
A Life in Brief: Woodrow Wilson was one of America’s greatest Presidents. His domestic program expanded the role of the federal government in managing the economy and protecting the interests of citizens. His foreign policy established a new vision of America’s role in the world. More . . .
- No nation is fit to sit in judgment upon any other nation.
- April 20, 1915
Essays on Woodrow Wilson and His Administration
- Woodrow Wilson
- A Life in Brief
- Life Before the Presidency
- Campaigns and Elections
- Domestic Affairs
- Foreign Affairs
- Life After the Presidency
- Family Life
- The American Franchise
- Impact and Legacy
- Key Events
- First Lady
- Edith Wilson
- Vice President
- Thomas R. Marshall
- Secretary of State
- William Jennings Bryan (1913–1915)
- Robert Lansing (1915–1920)
- Bainbridge Colby (1920–1921)
- Secretary of War
- Lindley M. Garrison (1913–1916)
- Newton Diehl Baker (1916–1921)
- Postmaster General
- Albert S. Burleson (1913–1921)
- Secretary of the Interior
- Franklin K. Lane (1913–1920)
- John B. Payne (1920–1921)
- Secretary of Commerce
- William C. Redfield (1913–1919)
- Joshua W. Alexander (1919–1921)
- Secretary of the Treasury
- William G. McAdoo (1913–1918)
- Carter Glass (1918–1920)
- David Franklin Houston (1920–1921)
- Attorney General
- James C. McReynolds (1913–1914)
- Thomas W. Gregory (1914–1919)
- Alexander Mitchell Palmer (1919–1921)
- Secretary of the Navy
- Josephus Daniels (1913–1921)
- Secretary of Agriculture
- David Franklin Houston (1913–1920)
- Edwin T. Meredith (1920–1921)
- Secretary of Labor
- William B. Wilson (1913–1921)
Consulting Editor: Kendrick Clements
Professor Clements is a Distinguished Professor of History, Emeritus at the University of South Carolina. His writings include:
Woodrow Wilson (Co-authored with Eric A. Cheezum, American President Reference Series, Congressional Quarterly Press, 2003)
The Presidency of Woodrow Wilson (University Press of Kansas, 1992)
Woodrow Wilson: World Statesman (Twayne Publishers, 1987)
Presidential Speeches
Below are selections from the Miller Center’s Woodrow Wilson speech collection.
Miller Center Scholarship and Speakers
The Miller Center of Public Affairs is a national nonpartisan center to research, reflect, and report on American government, with special attention to the central role and history of the presidency. Below is a selection of Miller Center resources on Woodrow Wilson.
Listen to Murat Williams’s 1990 presentation at the Miller Center on George Washington v. Woodrow Wilson.
President Woodrow Wilson led the country as Commander in Chief during World War I. Learn more about the Miller Center’s National War Powers Commission.
Learn more about the Center’s National Commission on Presidential Transitions and Foreign Policy and its relationship to Wilson.
Scripps Library Reference Resources
Below are links to reference resources prepared by the Miller Center’s Scripps Library that are designed to help students and scholars quickly conduct their research.
Information on Woodrow Wilson’s Private and Public Papers
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