Thomas Woodrow Wilson Before the Presidency

President of Princeton and Governor of New Jersey

May 23, 2009

Woodrow Wilson overcame childhood learning woes and became the only U.S. president to hold a PhD. He was an economic reformer and the grandfather of the United Nations.

Thomas Woodrow Wilson was born December 28, 1856 in Staunton, Virginia to Presbyterian minister Joseph Ruggles Wilson and his wife, Janet Woodrow Wilson (called 'Jessie'). Young 'Tommy' Wilson had two sisters. Marion was six years older than Tommy, and Anne was three years older. He got on well with both girls, who enjoyed playing with him. When Tommy was ten years old, their brother Joseph joined the family.

Reverend Joseph was known for being a strict father. By the time he was four years old, Woodrow Wilson was expected to speak carefully and thoughtfully. If his father deemed his speech poor, he required the boy to restructure his wording and repeat his sentences until Joseph found them proper. Despite his demanding nature, Wilson's father could also be fun-loving and affectionate. He enjoyed playing tag with his son and was not ashamed to kiss all his children good-bye, including Tommy.

Surprisingly, given his later achievements, Wilson did not learn the alphabet until he was nine years old, and he could not read until he was twelve. He also had marked difficulty in his math studies, once he was finally able to attend school. He continued to struggle with his marks until he reached college. There is some disagreement amongst experts, but it is generally believed that Wilson suffered from both ADD and Dyslexia. The main decriers of this widely-held opinion are Alexander and Juliette George.

Woodrow Wilson and Princeton

Once he learned control over his disadvantages, Woodrow Wilson enjoyed a bright and fulfilling college experience. He started out at North Carolina’s Davison College in 1873, but left after a year due to illness, possibly stress-induced, as he complained of frequent stomach problems. He finally graduated from Princeton University in 1879. He eventually obtained a PhD from Johns Hopkins in 1886, writing his doctoral thesis in Political Science titled, Congressional Government: A Study in American Politics (1885).

The majority of Wilson’s professional life was spent in academia. He began as an instructor in 1886, first teaching at Bryn Mawr, then at Wesleyan, and finally at Princeton. In 1902, he became the president of Princeton and served in that capacity until 1910. He did very well in his academic environs. He was a popular instructor and a very dynamic and creative administrator. Even today, Princeton makes much of the preceptorial system, which Wilson integrated in 1905.

Two of the benefits Wilson reaped from his father’s strict guidance were the abilities of debate and oration. In 1910, Wilson made use of those gifts by winning a position as Governor of New Jersey. Although he had enjoyed his tenure at Princeton, the two years prior to the gubernatorial election were difficult for him. He had attempted to make two large changes to the campus and how it worked, but he faced adversity from the other faculty and alumni. By 1910, he was ready for a change.

When Wilson was approached about the governorship by two members of New Jersey’s Democratic political machine, magazine editor George Harvey and retired Senator James Smith, jr., he jumped at the chance to pursue his lifelong dream of politics. Harvey and Smith were equally as delighted. They thought a novice like Wilson could be easily controlled, making their Democratic machine stronger.

At this time, senators were still put in office by their state’s legislature and not by popular vote, which allowed for a lot of corruption and bribery. Running as a reformer, Wilson faced criticism for claiming he would undo the very system that was orchestrating his campaign. However, Wilson stood fast and promised to undo the machine.

Senator James Smith, jr. and the Democratic Political Machine

While in office, Smith approached Governor Wilson about serving as Senator. Wilson would not allow himself to be a pawn of the machine and refused to endorse him. Eventually, he went further and passed several other pieces of forward-thinking legislation, including a corrupt practices act, and introducing workers’ compensation.

Finally spelling the Democratic machine’s doom, Wilson also passed into law the Geran Bill, which required all party candidates to run in elections rather than gain their posts by appointment, and also passed a bill to decrease bribery of government officials.

After such a popular and successful run, for Governor Wilson, it seemed there was no limit to what he might achieve.

Baker, Ray Stannard. Woodrow Wilson, Life & Letters: Youth 1856 - 1890. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Page & Co, 1927.

George, Alexander L., and George, Juliette L. Presidential Personality and Performance. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1998.

Maynard, W. B. Woodrow Wilson: Princeton to the Presidency. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2008.

The copyright of the article Thomas Woodrow Wilson Before the Presidency in Politicians is owned by Heather Strong. Permission to republish Thomas Woodrow Wilson Before the Presidency in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.