Thomas Woodrow Wilson

Thomas Woodrow Wilson

Thomas Woodrow Wilson, twenty-eighth president of the United States, might
have suffered from dyslexia. He never could read easily, but developed a strong
power of concentration and a near-photographic memory. The outbreak of World
War I coincided with the death of Wilson's first wife Ellen Axson, who he was
passionately devoted to. Seven months after her death his friends introduced him to
Edith Bolling Galt, a descendant of the Indian princess Pocahontas, they were married
nine months later. By 1912 times were good for most Americans. Farmers were
enjoying their most prosperous period in living memory, the cost of living rose
slightly, unemployment was lower than it had been for several years, and working
conditions were improving. By 1913 when Wilson was inaugurated, American industries
were in a flood of consumer goods, including automobiles, telephones, and movies.
However, Wilson almost did not appear on the presidential ballot, the leading
contender for the Democratic nomination was House Speaker Champ Clark. It took
46 ballots before the delegates swung to Wilson. In the election, the Republicans
were split between Taft and Roosevelt, almost guaranteeing a Democratic, and Wilson
victory. He sought ways to build patriotism and to reshape the federal government
to govern the nation more effectively. Wilson was a conservative, in his books and
articles, he often displayed hostility to reformers and rebels. Although Woodrow
Wilson is mo...

Thomas Woodrow Wilson

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