Woodrow Wilson Born: Idealist President, Flawed Legacy
Woodrow Wilson was born in December 1856 in Staunton, Virginia, the son of a Presbyterian minister who watched the Civil War from his church in Augusta, Georgia. Wilson served as president from 1913 to 1921, guided the country through World War I, and arrived at Versailles convinced he could build a new world order on his Fourteen Points. The Senate refused to ratify the League of Nations. He suffered a massive stroke in October 1919 while touring the country to drum up public support and never fully recovered. He finished his term incapacitated. His wife Edith managed the presidency informally for the remainder.
December 28, 1856
170 years ago
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