Woodrow Wilson - Biography of the 2. President. Portrait of Woodrow Wilson, who served as the 2. President of the United States of America, early twentieth century. He began his career as a scholar and educator, and later gained national recognition as the reform- minded governor of New Jersey. Just two years after becoming governor, he was elected president of the United States. Despite his isolationist leanings, Wilson oversaw American involvement in World War I and was a key figure in brokering the peace between the Allied and Central powers. Following the war, Wilson presented his . Details of his illness were hidden from the public while his wife carried out many of his duties for him. Best Universities in the United States President Wilson was awarded the 1. Nobel Peace Prize. Dates: December 2. He joined older sisters Marion and Annie (younger brother Joseph would arrive ten years later). Joseph Wilson, Sr. Explore the history of the Woodrow Wilson House, home to President and Mrs. The family moved to Augusta, Georgia in 1. Joseph was offered a job with the local ministry. During the Civil War, Reverend Wilson's church and surrounding land functioned as a hospital and campground for injured Confederate soldiers. Young Wilson, after seeing up close the kind of suffering war could produce, became vehemently opposed to war and remained so when he later served as president. 28th president of the United States (1913–21), an American scholar and statesman best remembered for his legislative accomplishments and his high-minded idealism.
Some historians now believe that Wilson suffered from a form of dyslexia. Wilson compensated for his deficit by teaching himself shorthand as a teenager, enabling him to take notes in class. In 1. 87. 0, the family moved to Columbia, South Carolina when Reverend Wilson was hired as a minister and professor of theology at a prominent Presbyterian church and seminary. Tommy Wilson attended a private school, where he kept up with his studies but did not distinguish himself academically. Early College Years. Wilson left home in 1. Davidson College in South Carolina. He only stayed for two semesters before becoming physically ill trying to keep up with his coursework and extracurricular activities. Poor health would plague Wilson his entire life. In the fall of 1. Wilson enrolled at Princeton (then known as the College of New Jersey). His father, an alumnus of the school, had helped him get admitted. Wilson was one of a handful of southerners who attended Princeton in the decade after the Civil War. Many of his southern classmates resented northerners, but Wilson did not. He firmly believed in maintaining the unity of the states. By now, Wilson had developed a love of reading and spent a lot of time in the school library. His tenor singing voice won him a spot in the glee club and he became known for his skills as a debater. Wilson also wrote articles for the campus magazine and later became its editor. After graduating from Princeton in 1. Wilson made an important decision. He would serve the public . And the best path to public office, Wilson believed, was to earn a law degree. Becoming a Lawyer. Wilson entered law school at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville in autumn of 1. He didn't enjoy the study of law; for him, it was a means to an end. As he had done at Princeton, Wilson participated in debate club and the choir. He distinguished himself as an orator and drew large audiences when he spoke. During weekends and holidays, Wilson visited relatives in nearby Staunton, Virginia, where he had been born. There, he became smitten by his first cousin, Hattie Woodrow. The attraction was not mutual. Wilson proposed marriage to Hattie in the summer of 1. Back in school, the dejected Wilson (who now preferred to be called . He was forced to drop out of law school and return home to recuperate. After regaining his health, Wilson completed his law studies from home and passed the bar exam in May 1. Wilson Marries and Earns a Doctorate. Woodrow Wilson moved to Atlanta, Georgia in the summer of 1. He soon realized that not only was it difficult to find clients in a large city but that he also disliked practicing law. The practice did not prosper and Wilson was miserable; he knew he must find a meaningful career. Because he loved to study government and history, Wilson decided to become a teacher. He began his studies at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland in the fall of 1. While visiting relatives in Georgia earlier in the year, Wilson had met and fallen in love with Ellen Axson, the daughter of a minister. They became engaged in September 1. Wilson was still in school and Ellen was caring for her ailing father. Wilson proved himself an able scholar at Johns Hopkins. He became a published author at 2. Congressional Government, was published in 1. Wilson received praise for his critical analysis of the practices of congressional committees and lobbyists. On June 2. 4, 1. 88. Woodrow Wilson married Ellen Axson in Savannah, Georgia. In 1. 88. 6, Wilson received his doctorate in history and political science. He was hired to teach at Bryn Mawr, a small women's college in Pennsylvania. Professor Wilson. Wilson taught at Bryn Mawr for two years. He was well- respected and enjoyed teaching, but living conditions were very cramped on the small campus. After the arrival of daughters Margaret in 1. Jessie in 1. 88. 7, Wilson began to search for a new teaching position. Buoyed by his growing reputation as a teacher, writer, and orator, Wilson received an offer for a higher- paying position at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut in 1. The Wilsons welcomed a third daughter, Eleanor, in 1. At Wesleyan, Wilson became a popular history and political science professor. He involved himself in school organizations, as a faculty football advisor and leader of debate events. As busy as he was, Wilson found the time to write a well- regarded government textbook, winning praise from educators. Yet Wilson longed to teach at a larger school. When offered a position in 1. Princeton, he eagerly accepted. From Professor to University President. Woodrow Wilson spent 1. Princeton, where he was repeatedly voted most popular professor. Wilson also managed to write prolifically, publishing a biography of George Washington in 1. American people in 1. Upon the retirement of University President Francis Patton in 1. Woodrow Wilson was named president of the university. He was the first layperson to hold that title. During Wilson's Princeton administration, he oversaw several improvements, including expanding the campus and building additional classrooms. He also hired more teachers so that there could be smaller, more intimate classes, which he believed were beneficial to students. Wilson raised the admission standards at the university, making it more selective than before. In 1. 90. 6, Wilson's stressful lifestyle took a toll . Wilson recovered after taking some time off. In June of 1. 91. Wilson was approached by a group of politicians and businessmen who had been taking note of his many successful endeavors. The men wanted him to run for governor of New Jersey. This was Wilson's opportunity to fulfill the dream he'd had as a young man. After winning the nomination at the Democratic Convention in September 1. Woodrow Wilson resigned from Princeton in October to run for governor of New Jersey. Governor Wilson. Campaigning across the state, Wilson impressed crowds with his eloquent speeches. He insisted that if he were elected governor, he would serve the people without being influenced by big business or party bosses (powerful, often corrupt men who controlled political organizations). Wilson won the election by a healthy margin in November 1. As governor, Wilson brought about a number of reforms. Because he objected to the selection of political candidates by the . Wilson also contributed to the passage of a law that would protect workers from unsafe working conditions and compensate them if they were injured on the job. Wilson's record of sweeping reforms brought him national attention and led to speculation of a possible presidential candidacy in the 1. Convinced he had a chance of winning the nomination, Wilson readied himself to campaign on the national stage. President of the United States. Wilson went into the Democratic National Convention of 1. Champ Clark, House Speaker, as well as other popular candidates. After dozens of roll calls . He was declared the Democratic candidate in the race for president. Wilson faced a unique challenge . He didn't win the popular vote, but did win a vast majority of the electoral vote (4. Wilson, while Roosevelt received 8. Taft only 8). In just two years, Woodrow Wilson had gone from being the president of Princeton to the president of the United States. He was 5. 6 years old. Domestic Accomplishments. Wilson set forth his goals early in his administration. He would focus on reforms, such as the tariff system, currency and banking, oversight of natural resources, and legislation to regulate food, labor, and sanitation. Wilson's plan was known as the . The Underwood Tariff Bill, passed in 1. The Federal Reserve Act created a system of federal banks and a board of experts that would regulate interest rates and the circulation of money. Wilson also sought to limit the powers of big business. He faced an uphill battle, convincing Congress of the need for new antitrust legislation that would prevent the formation of monopolies. Taking his case first to the people (who in turn contacted their congressmen), Wilson was able to get the Clayton Antitrust Act passed in 1. Federal Trade Commission. Death of Ellen Wilson and Beginning of WWIIn April 1. Wilson's wife became gravely ill with Bright's disease, an inflammation of the kidneys. Because no effective treatments were available at the time, Ellen Wilson's condition worsened. She died on August 6, 1. Wilson lost and bereft. In the midst of his grief, however, Wilson was obligated to run a nation. Recent events in Europe had taken center stage following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria- Hungary in June 1.
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