How Woodrow Wilson Became President
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was born in Virginia, the third of four children of Joseph Ruggles Wilson and Jessie Janet Woodrow. His parents moved south in 1851 and although his father was a clergyman who defended slavery, owned slaves and who served as a chaplain to the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Woodrow Wilson would say that he could remember standing at General Robert E. Lee's side and looking up into his face.
During the Reconstruction era, Wilson lived in Columbia, South Carolina from 1870 to 1874, while his father was professor at the Columbia Theological Seminary. Wilson attended Davidson College in North Carolina for the 1873–74 school year and then transferred to Princeton as a freshman when his father began teaching at the university. He graduated in 1879. While at Princeton he was active in the debating society. In 1879, Wilson attended law school at the University of Virginia for one year.
His health began to suffer, so he went home to his parents, then living in Wilmington, North Carolina. There Wilson continued his law studies. He was admitted to the Georgia bar in 1882 and tried to practice law, but didn't like it very much. After less than a year, he left the practice to study political science and history at Johns Hopkins University. Three years later, he completed his doctoral dissertation, entitled Congressional Government: A Study in American Politics, and received his Ph.D.. In 1885 he married the former Ellen Axson.
Wilson was an early automobile enthusiast. He owned a 1919 Pierce-Arrow at a time when car ownership was uncommon. He was also an avid baseball fan. (He would later become the first sitting president to attend, and throw out the first ball at, a World Series game in 1915.) Wilson played center field at Davidson College days and was the Princeton team's assistant manager. He was also a cyclist and played golf too.
Wilson worked as a lecturer at Cornell University in 1886–87. He taught at Bryn Mawr College from 1885 until 1888, teaching ancient Greek and Roman history and in 1888, Wilson left Bryn Mawr for Wesleyan University despite the fact that he had signed a three-year contract with Bryn Mawr in 1887. Both parties claimed breach of contract, but neither pursued legal action. At Wesleyan, Wilson coached the football team and founded the debate team.
In February 1890, Wilson was elected by the Princeton University board to the Chair of Jurisprudence and Political Economy. He was also a faculty member of the short-lived coordinate college, Evelyn College for Women and he became the first lecturer of Constitutional Law at New York Law School, where he taught with Charles Evans Hughes.
As a political scientist, Wilson favored a parliamentary system for the United States. His first political work, entitled Congressional Government (published in 1885), advocated a parliamentary system. He was critical of the United States government. Wilson later became a regular contributor to Political Science Quarterly, an academic journal. Wilson's second publication in 1890 was a textbook, entitled The State, used widely in college courses throughout the country. In the book he argued that government should be used to address social ills and advance society's welfare. His third book, entitled Division and Reunion, was published in 1893 and his fourth publication, a five-volume work entitled History of the American People, was the culmination of a series of articles written for Harper's Magazine, and was published in 1902. His last scholarly work was published in 1908, and was called Constitutional Government of the United States.
Wilson turned down an offer to become the president at the University of Illinois in 1892, and at the University of Virginia in 1901. The Princeton trustees promoted Professor Wilson to president in June 1902. As president Wilson sought $3 million for a graduate school and $2.5 million for schools of jurisprudence and electrical engineering, as well as a museum of natural history. He increased the faculty from 112 to 174, most of whom he selected himself. He developed curriculum guidelines and made biblical studies a course of study. He also instituted academic departments and a system of core requirements.
In 1906 Wilson awoke to find himself blind in the left eye, the result of a blood clot and hypertension. It is believed that he suffered a stroke. To recover, he took a Bermuda vacation. While Wilson began vacationing in Bermuda in 1906, he met socialite Mary Hulbert Peck with whom he developed an intimate friendship and possibly had an affair, though this has not been clearly proven. Wilson sent very personal letters to Mrs. Peck, which would later be used against him by his political enemies.
During his time at Princeton, Wilson tried to abolish the upper-class eating clubs. He proposed moving the students into colleges, also known as quadrangles. Wilson's Quad Plan was met with fierce opposition from Princeton's alumni. In October 1907, due to the intensity of alumni opposition, the Board of Trustees withdrew its support for the Quad Plan and instructed Wilson to withdraw it. Shortly after thus, Wilson suffered a recurrence of his 1906 stroke. Another vacation was prescribed and proved beneficial.
Wilson time at Princeton ended in conflict. He had a confrontation with Andrew Fleming West, dean of the graduate school. Wilson wanted to integrate a proposed graduate school building into the campus core, while West preferred that the graduate building be off-site. When a donor gave a large donation to the graduate school campaign, on condition that the graduate school be located off campus, this more or less decided the issue. This took place in Wilson's final year at Princeton.
Wilson was elected president of the American Political Science Association in 1910. He decided to leave Princeton post and enter New Jersey state politics. Wilson had come to the attention of New Jersey's U.S. Senator James Smith, Jr., who considered him to be a potential Democratic nominee in the upcoming gubernatorial election. On July 12, 1910 he met with New Jersey's power players at the Lawyers Club in New York. These political bosses organized their supporters at the party convention, and on September 14, 1910, Wilson was nominated to be the Democratic candidate for Governor of New Jersey.He submitted his letter of resignation to Princeton on October 20.
Wilson soundly defeated his Republican opponent by over 650,000 votes, even though Republican William Howard Taft had carried New Jersey in the 1908 presidential election by more than 82,000 votes. In the 1910 election, the Democrats also took control of the New Jersey General Assembly. The State Senate remained in Republican hands. Wilson adopted a progressive agenda. He chose to ignore the demands of party bosses. After Wilson's election, political boss U.S. Senator Smith asked Wilson to endorse his own reelection bid in the state legislature (this was before popular election of senators). Wilson refused, and endorsed Smith's opponent James E Martine, who had won his seat in the new primary system.
As governor, Wilson focused on four major state reforms: 1) changes to the state election laws; 2) passage of a a corrupt practices act; 3) Workmen's Compensation reform, and 4) establishment of a commission to regulate utilities. Wilson's prominence as governor raised his national profile, making him a viable option as the Democratic Party's candidate for President in 1912. Wilson committed himself to seek his party's nomination in March of 1911. He invited William Jennings Bryan for dinner to solicit his support.
Wilson was the first southern-born candidate to have a serious chance at the White House since 1848 and many Southern Democrats strongly supported his candidacy. He also drew support from progressives, intellectuals, and lawyers. He was quite adept in navigating between both sides of controversial local issues. When asked about his views on women's suffrage, though he was firmly opposed, he evasively said that it was a matter for the states to decide.
In July 1911 Wilson brought his son-in-law William Gibbs McAdoo and Edward Mandell House in to manage his campaign. The 1912 Democratic convention was held in Baltimore. Wilson went golfing and left the convention to his managers. The convention deadlocked for over forty ballots with no candidate able to reach the two-thirds vote required. The leading contender was House Speaker Champ Clark, a prominent progressive, strongest in the border states. William Jennings Bryan, the nominee in 1896, 1900 and 1908, played a critical role in his declared opposition to any candidate supported by "the financiers of Wall Street". On the tenth ballot New York's delegation went unanimously to Clark, but the fourteenth ballot, Bryan announced that his vote for Clark would be withheld due to the New York vote. Wilson's tally began to climb and he passed Clark's vote on the thirtieth ballot. Bryan announced his support for Wilson, and he ultimately won the nomination on the 46th ballot. Indiana Governor Thomas R. Marshall was chosen as Wilson's running mate.
Wilson campaigned on a platform that included the elimination of monopoly in all forms, major reforms in banking and a lower tariff. He benefitted from a split in the Republican Party as Theodore Roosevelt ran as the candidate for the third party Progressive Party, known as the "Bull Moose Party." On election day Wilson received 41.8% of the popular vote, more than either of his opponents. More importantly, he won 435 electoral votes from 40 states.
During the Reconstruction era, Wilson lived in Columbia, South Carolina from 1870 to 1874, while his father was professor at the Columbia Theological Seminary. Wilson attended Davidson College in North Carolina for the 1873–74 school year and then transferred to Princeton as a freshman when his father began teaching at the university. He graduated in 1879. While at Princeton he was active in the debating society. In 1879, Wilson attended law school at the University of Virginia for one year.
His health began to suffer, so he went home to his parents, then living in Wilmington, North Carolina. There Wilson continued his law studies. He was admitted to the Georgia bar in 1882 and tried to practice law, but didn't like it very much. After less than a year, he left the practice to study political science and history at Johns Hopkins University. Three years later, he completed his doctoral dissertation, entitled Congressional Government: A Study in American Politics, and received his Ph.D.. In 1885 he married the former Ellen Axson.
Wilson was an early automobile enthusiast. He owned a 1919 Pierce-Arrow at a time when car ownership was uncommon. He was also an avid baseball fan. (He would later become the first sitting president to attend, and throw out the first ball at, a World Series game in 1915.) Wilson played center field at Davidson College days and was the Princeton team's assistant manager. He was also a cyclist and played golf too.
Wilson worked as a lecturer at Cornell University in 1886–87. He taught at Bryn Mawr College from 1885 until 1888, teaching ancient Greek and Roman history and in 1888, Wilson left Bryn Mawr for Wesleyan University despite the fact that he had signed a three-year contract with Bryn Mawr in 1887. Both parties claimed breach of contract, but neither pursued legal action. At Wesleyan, Wilson coached the football team and founded the debate team.
In February 1890, Wilson was elected by the Princeton University board to the Chair of Jurisprudence and Political Economy. He was also a faculty member of the short-lived coordinate college, Evelyn College for Women and he became the first lecturer of Constitutional Law at New York Law School, where he taught with Charles Evans Hughes.
As a political scientist, Wilson favored a parliamentary system for the United States. His first political work, entitled Congressional Government (published in 1885), advocated a parliamentary system. He was critical of the United States government. Wilson later became a regular contributor to Political Science Quarterly, an academic journal. Wilson's second publication in 1890 was a textbook, entitled The State, used widely in college courses throughout the country. In the book he argued that government should be used to address social ills and advance society's welfare. His third book, entitled Division and Reunion, was published in 1893 and his fourth publication, a five-volume work entitled History of the American People, was the culmination of a series of articles written for Harper's Magazine, and was published in 1902. His last scholarly work was published in 1908, and was called Constitutional Government of the United States.
Wilson turned down an offer to become the president at the University of Illinois in 1892, and at the University of Virginia in 1901. The Princeton trustees promoted Professor Wilson to president in June 1902. As president Wilson sought $3 million for a graduate school and $2.5 million for schools of jurisprudence and electrical engineering, as well as a museum of natural history. He increased the faculty from 112 to 174, most of whom he selected himself. He developed curriculum guidelines and made biblical studies a course of study. He also instituted academic departments and a system of core requirements.
In 1906 Wilson awoke to find himself blind in the left eye, the result of a blood clot and hypertension. It is believed that he suffered a stroke. To recover, he took a Bermuda vacation. While Wilson began vacationing in Bermuda in 1906, he met socialite Mary Hulbert Peck with whom he developed an intimate friendship and possibly had an affair, though this has not been clearly proven. Wilson sent very personal letters to Mrs. Peck, which would later be used against him by his political enemies.
During his time at Princeton, Wilson tried to abolish the upper-class eating clubs. He proposed moving the students into colleges, also known as quadrangles. Wilson's Quad Plan was met with fierce opposition from Princeton's alumni. In October 1907, due to the intensity of alumni opposition, the Board of Trustees withdrew its support for the Quad Plan and instructed Wilson to withdraw it. Shortly after thus, Wilson suffered a recurrence of his 1906 stroke. Another vacation was prescribed and proved beneficial.
Wilson time at Princeton ended in conflict. He had a confrontation with Andrew Fleming West, dean of the graduate school. Wilson wanted to integrate a proposed graduate school building into the campus core, while West preferred that the graduate building be off-site. When a donor gave a large donation to the graduate school campaign, on condition that the graduate school be located off campus, this more or less decided the issue. This took place in Wilson's final year at Princeton.
Wilson was elected president of the American Political Science Association in 1910. He decided to leave Princeton post and enter New Jersey state politics. Wilson had come to the attention of New Jersey's U.S. Senator James Smith, Jr., who considered him to be a potential Democratic nominee in the upcoming gubernatorial election. On July 12, 1910 he met with New Jersey's power players at the Lawyers Club in New York. These political bosses organized their supporters at the party convention, and on September 14, 1910, Wilson was nominated to be the Democratic candidate for Governor of New Jersey.He submitted his letter of resignation to Princeton on October 20.
Wilson soundly defeated his Republican opponent by over 650,000 votes, even though Republican William Howard Taft had carried New Jersey in the 1908 presidential election by more than 82,000 votes. In the 1910 election, the Democrats also took control of the New Jersey General Assembly. The State Senate remained in Republican hands. Wilson adopted a progressive agenda. He chose to ignore the demands of party bosses. After Wilson's election, political boss U.S. Senator Smith asked Wilson to endorse his own reelection bid in the state legislature (this was before popular election of senators). Wilson refused, and endorsed Smith's opponent James E Martine, who had won his seat in the new primary system.
As governor, Wilson focused on four major state reforms: 1) changes to the state election laws; 2) passage of a a corrupt practices act; 3) Workmen's Compensation reform, and 4) establishment of a commission to regulate utilities. Wilson's prominence as governor raised his national profile, making him a viable option as the Democratic Party's candidate for President in 1912. Wilson committed himself to seek his party's nomination in March of 1911. He invited William Jennings Bryan for dinner to solicit his support.
Wilson was the first southern-born candidate to have a serious chance at the White House since 1848 and many Southern Democrats strongly supported his candidacy. He also drew support from progressives, intellectuals, and lawyers. He was quite adept in navigating between both sides of controversial local issues. When asked about his views on women's suffrage, though he was firmly opposed, he evasively said that it was a matter for the states to decide.
In July 1911 Wilson brought his son-in-law William Gibbs McAdoo and Edward Mandell House in to manage his campaign. The 1912 Democratic convention was held in Baltimore. Wilson went golfing and left the convention to his managers. The convention deadlocked for over forty ballots with no candidate able to reach the two-thirds vote required. The leading contender was House Speaker Champ Clark, a prominent progressive, strongest in the border states. William Jennings Bryan, the nominee in 1896, 1900 and 1908, played a critical role in his declared opposition to any candidate supported by "the financiers of Wall Street". On the tenth ballot New York's delegation went unanimously to Clark, but the fourteenth ballot, Bryan announced that his vote for Clark would be withheld due to the New York vote. Wilson's tally began to climb and he passed Clark's vote on the thirtieth ballot. Bryan announced his support for Wilson, and he ultimately won the nomination on the 46th ballot. Indiana Governor Thomas R. Marshall was chosen as Wilson's running mate.
Wilson campaigned on a platform that included the elimination of monopoly in all forms, major reforms in banking and a lower tariff. He benefitted from a split in the Republican Party as Theodore Roosevelt ran as the candidate for the third party Progressive Party, known as the "Bull Moose Party." On election day Wilson received 41.8% of the popular vote, more than either of his opponents. More importantly, he won 435 electoral votes from 40 states.