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The First Female President | Edith Wilson

There has been talk in recent years of electing a female president. However, many people don't know the United States effectively had a female president for around 1.5 years. This is the story of Woodrow Wilson's stroke and the coverup that lead to his wife, Edith, managing his affairs. 

After the death of Wilson's first wife Ellen, Wilson met Edith Galt. In order to "charm her", he shared state secrets which is a totally normal and very attractive way to flirt with a potential mate. All jokes aside this form of unconventional wooing worked and Wilson sought to marry her, much to the behest of his campaign managers. We have to remember this was 1915 and "his people" were gearing up for the 1916 election. They feared his promptness in remarriage would offend some people and cost him electoral votes. Wilson didn't seem to care and continued his relationship with Edith and they were married on December 18th, 1915. Edith immediately became involved in Wilson's political life. During the next few years she was active in the war effort and committed the White House to supporting it. She instituted meatless Mondays and wheat-less Wednesdays in order to conserve resources and set a good example. Mrs. Wilson decided not to hire a gardening staff, taking charge herself she borrowed 20 sheep from a local farm and sold the wool for charity, making $50,000. She also volunteered with the Red Cross, responded to mail, and advised the president in his dealings with congress. 

The trouble started when Wilson attended the lengthy post war negotiations surrounding the Treaty of Versailles. The stress of the negotiations and the fact that he had been president for almost two terms was exhausting him. To make matters worse congress didn't really approve of the Treaty of Versailles and they definitely didn't approve of his proposals for his international forum organization the League of Nations. In late 1919 Wilson decided to travel across the country to drum up support for approval of a US entry into the League of Nations. His efforts were met with lukewarm to cold reception and his health faltered further. Wilson collapsed and had what is believed to be a minor stroke on September 25, 1919. Upon returning to Washington D.C. shortly after this, Wilson suffered a massive and paralyzing stroke on October 2. Edith Wilson sprang into action cordoning Wilson off from the outside world. She concealed just how bad his stroke had been, not allowing the press or the cabinet to know about his situation. This begins the period of which she refers to as her "stewardship." This is also where, depending on what accounts and sources you are reading, things get a bit dicey. Either Edith was acting as a selfless guardian of her husband protecting him from distractions, stress, and the media, allowing him to recover. Or Edith was acting selfishly, hiding the state of her husband's issues and using the office to gain power. 

According to UVA's Miller Center claims Edith Wilson "...never intended to usurp her husband's power...", they claim Mrs. Wilson's influence was merely limited to who she allowed to see her husband and what issues she would bring to him. Other sources, like Biography.com suggest that we can't really know how much power Mrs. Wilson was usurping as she didn't let many see the condition president Wilson was in and whether the documents she "dictated" actually came from him. It is also worth noting that she had the secretary of state fired because she felt him calling meetings under his own accord was "insubordination", she also tried to have a British diplomatic aide fired. This suggests she was wielding significant power and influence.

How much power Edith Wilson assumed is unknown, however it still makes for an interesting story, because from at least some emerging evidence it looks as though she held quite a bit of power and influence. It is also interesting to me how well she was able to conceal the president's condition sometimes covering up his left side with a blanket to hide his paralysis. The whole ordeal has also highlighted the lack of explicit rules and protocols to be used when a president isn't dead, but is too ill to continue serving in the office. 

Sources:

 

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