Remembering Woody
On February 3, 1924 (87 years ago today) Thoma Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States, died at his home in Washington D.C. While still in office, Wilson suffered a serious stroke on October 2, 1919 that almost totally incapacitated him. It left him paralyzed on his left side and blind in his left eye. He was confined to bed for weeks and prevented from having contact with nearly everyone except for his wife Edith and his physician, Dr. Cary Grayson. For a few months, he used a wheelchair, but was later able to walk with the assistance of a cane. At one point his wife Edith and journalist Joseph Tumulty helped produce a bogus interview of Wilson for consumption by the media.
Mrs. Wilson even prevented Vice President Thomas R. Marshall, and members of the cabinet from meeting with Wilson for the remainder of his term. She served as his steward, selecting issues for his attention and delegating other issues to his cabinet heads. Eventually, Wilson did resume his attendance at cabinet meetings, but with minimal participation. The full extent of his disability was kept from the public until after his death.
After his term in office ended, Wilson and his wife moved to a home in the Embassy Row section of Washington, D.C. He died in his S Street home on February 3, 1924 and was buried in Washington National Cathedral. He is the only president buried in Washington, D.C.
Mrs. Wilson left the home to the National Trust for Historic Preservation to be made into a museum honoring her husband. The Woodrow Wilson House opened as a museum. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.[
Mrs. Wilson even prevented Vice President Thomas R. Marshall, and members of the cabinet from meeting with Wilson for the remainder of his term. She served as his steward, selecting issues for his attention and delegating other issues to his cabinet heads. Eventually, Wilson did resume his attendance at cabinet meetings, but with minimal participation. The full extent of his disability was kept from the public until after his death.
After his term in office ended, Wilson and his wife moved to a home in the Embassy Row section of Washington, D.C. He died in his S Street home on February 3, 1924 and was buried in Washington National Cathedral. He is the only president buried in Washington, D.C.
Mrs. Wilson left the home to the National Trust for Historic Preservation to be made into a museum honoring her husband. The Woodrow Wilson House opened as a museum. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.[