Woodrow Wilson: the record and the legends

Tommy. The 28th president, 1913-1921, from New Jersey. Every story here is tagged Record, meaning it’s documented, or Legend, meaning it gets told a lot and doesn’t hold up. Each one links to its source.

President: 28th
In office: 1913-1921
Home state: New Jersey
Party: Democratic
Height: 5'11"

The record

RecordAs president of Princeton, Wilson picked fights with a powerful dean over where to build the graduate college, and tried to get rid of the university's elite eating clubs. He wouldn't compromise, and he lost alumni, faculty and trustees along the way.Source: Miller Center, Wilson: Life Before the Presidency
RecordIn September 1919 Wilson went on a cross-country tour to sell the League of Nations to voters, against his doctors' advice. He broke down after a speech in Pueblo, Colorado, and a week later had a severe stroke that left him partly paralyzed for the rest of his term.Source: Miller Center, Wilson: Key Events
RecordWilson played golf almost every day as president because his doctor told him to. He privately called it a silly game.Source: Miller Center, Wilson: Family Life
RecordWilson earned a Ph.D. in history and political science from Johns Hopkins in 1886. He's still the only president with an earned doctorate.Source: Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library, About Woodrow Wilson

The legends

LegendYou'll hear that Edith Wilson secretly ran the country after her husband's stroke. She did control who and what reached him, with his doctor. But she wrote that she never made a single decision about public business herself.Source: White House Historical Association, Edith Wilson

What he cared about

Reining in big banks and monopolies: the Federal Reserve, the Clayton Act and the FTC.
A new world order after World War I, built on the Fourteen Points and the League of Nations.
Labor protections, including the eight-hour day for railroad workers.

The full record

He let his cabinet segregate federal offices like the Post Office and Treasury, and many Black federal workers were demoted or fired.

How he fights in POTUS KO

Professor who never gave an inch

Wilson picked one position and drove straight at it, at Princeton, on the League, and all the way to the end of his health. In the ring he's a brawler who only goes forward.

See POTUS KO

Questions about Woodrow Wilson

Did Edith Wilson run the country?

You'll hear that Edith Wilson secretly ran the country after her husband's stroke. She did control who and what reached him, with his doctor. But she wrote that she never made a single decision about public business herself.

Is Woodrow Wilson the only president with a Ph.D.?

Wilson earned a Ph.D. in history and political science from Johns Hopkins in 1886. He's still the only president with an earned doctorate.

Did Woodrow Wilson play golf?

Wilson played golf almost every day as president because his doctor told him to. He privately called it a silly game.