Edith Wilson

• Born: October 15, 1872
• Birthplace: Wytherville, Virginia
• Died: December 28, 1961
• Place of death: Washington, D.C.

President:Woodrow Wilson, 1913-1921

Overview

Edith Bolling Galt married President Woodrow Wilson following the death of his first wife, forging a union that changed the dynamics of Wilson’s presidency. As Woodrow’s confidante, Edith was an important resource at the Paris Peace Conference and even became an unofficial regent following Woodrow’s stroke in 1919 while he was still in office. Her influence was readily apparent, and although she denied being anything more than a devoted wife, her actions belie the statement. Although Woodrow lived only a few years after leaving the White House, Edith continued to guard his legacy until her own death thirty-seven years later, remaining forever Woodrow’s protector.

Early Life

Born in Virginia on October 15, 1872, Edith was one of nine surviving children of the Bolling family. Her father, whom she idolized, was a lawyer and circuit court judge. After the Civil War, he settled with his family in Wytheville, Virginia, where Edith was born. Growing up, Edith received a rather informal education from her father and her paternal grandmother.

At fifteen, she embarked on three years of formal education before moving to Washington, D.C., in 1890 to spend time with her newly married sister. Edith was fascinated by the United States’ capital. She enjoyed the opera and theater and was also exposed to high fashion, which would become her trademark. During her stay Edith, through her sister, met Norman Galt, a senior partner in Galt’s, a family silversmith firm. He was immediately smitten, and they began dating. Their courtship lasted four years, and they married on April 30, 1896.

For the next twelve years, Edith remained Norman’s devoted wife, supporting her husband but keeping out of his business affairs. In 1908, Norman, diagnosed with a rare liver ailment, died suddenly. Edith was left a widow and sole owner of Galt’s. Eventually she sold the business for a hefty price, which left her financially secure. The next several years she spent traveling and visiting with her relatives. On one of her trips, she befriended Alice Gertrude Gordon, who would aid in introducing Edith to the White House inhabitants. Alice was acquainted with Helen Woodrow Bones, the cousin of President Woodrow Wilson.

Marriage and Family

Because Edith steered clear of politics, she was relatively unaware of President Woodrow Wilson or his family. The Wilsons had been married more than twenty-five years and had three daughters. Ellen Wilson made national headlines in 1914 for fainting during an official receiving line and was soon diagnosed with Bright’s disease. Her health continued to fail until she finally passed away in August of that year. Woodrow was grief-stricken, and according to White House insiders, the pall within the Executive Mansion was stifling. That was soon to change.

“Turn a corner and meet your fate,” was the expression Edith used to describe her first meeting with Woodrow in March, 1915. She and Woodrow’s cousin Helen Woodrow Bones had just returned from an outing, splattered with mud and looking quite disheveled. Helen, the White House hostess since the death of the first Mrs. Wilson, assured Edith that the president was out golfing and that they would not be seen. As they exited the White House elevator on the second floor and rounded the corner, Edith and Helen came face-to-face with the president. Woodrow was captivated. He enjoyed Edith’s quick wit and quickly moved to spend as much time with her as possible. They went for drives, had dinner at the White House, and corresponded. Woodrow was already in love and ready to propose. He discussed the matter with his daughters, who liked Edith and supported their father’s decision. Edith requested time to consider his sudden proposal; she wondered whether the marriage would affect his presidency and if her presence would distract him.

Ultimately, after time and constant assurances of his love and need for her, Edith agreed to marry Woodrow. Their engagement was publicly announced on October 6, 1915, and Edith immediately became the subject of intense scrutiny. She refused to make herself available to well-wishers, claiming her time was limited since she wanted to be available to the president whenever he needed her. Woodrow’s growing dependence on Edith concerned his advisers, who complained that he never had time for them and was increasingly turning to his fiancée for advice or consultation.

Presidency and First Ladyship

On December 18, 1915, forty-four-year-old Edith Bolling Galt married fifty-nine-year-old Woodrow Wilson in a quiet ceremony at Edith’s home. Only fifty family members and intimate friends were invited to witness the event as the couple exchanged vows. It was then that Edith entered the whirlwind of presidential politics in her role as First Lady. Her wish was not to upset the pattern already established at the White House; she fired no staff and made no major changes. Instead, she arranged her schedule to fit Woodrow’s. She ate meals when it was convenient for him and instructed the staff to alter their own schedules if they conflicted with the president’s. Edith was admired by the staff and was always pleasant unless someone disturbed the president; then Edith made her anger felt. She also made it her priority to anticipate Woodrow’s needs, especially his need for rest. This meant keeping advisers and cabinet officials from dropping in on the president. They quickly discovered that without an appointment it was very difficult to see Woodrow, as Edith would claim that he was busy and ask that they visit another time.

Major issues surfaced over the next year that illustrated Edith’s devotion to Woodrow: the presidential election and World War I. With some trepidation, she ultimately supported Woodrow’s successful reelection bid in 1916, though she believed that in retirement they could spend more time together, and was equally supportive of his decision to go to war with Germany in April, 1917.

The United States’ entry into the war meant that Americans had to sacrifice, pull together, and unify around the cause. The White House set an example by ceasing all receptions and parties, unless they were for a visiting ally. This was not an unwelcome occurrence for Edith, who much preferred time alone with Woodrow to large, formal receptions. She sewed clothing for soldiers, curtailed her own shopping (she commented that she did not buy any new clothes for the duration), and worked hard to name all the new ships being commissioned into service.

With the war’s end in November, 1918, controversy erupted over who should represent the United States at the Paris Peace Conference. Woodrow felt he had to go, and Edith, who never considered staying behind, began to pack, with much care to her own wardrobe. She commented that, faced with constant scrutiny, it was her obligation to dress well as a representative of the people of the United States.

The conference turned out to be immensely draining on Woodrow. The political bickering among the participants, coupled with his own desire to create a new world peace based upon his Fourteen Points plan, meant that Woodrow put in eighteen-hour days in meetings with various parties as well as in his own research and writing. Edith sat in on many meetings between Woodrow and foreign diplomats. While initially put off by her presence, these statesmen soon became accustomed to her being in the room for their discussions.

Following almost six months of grueling negotiations, in which Edith was constantly concerned about Woodrow’s health and the blinding headaches he suffered, the Treaty of Versailles was finally completed. Woodrow knew the opposition he would face from the U.S. Senate over the inclusion of provisions for the new League of Nations in the treaty. Consequently, he decided to take his case to the American people. Edith warned that he was not strong enough to handle such a grueling schedule, but he was adamant that this trip was vital and could not be delayed. Edith would later say the trip in September, 1919, was a nightmare, as the president sacrificed himself for the cause of peace. Her predictions came true as his health suffered greatly, and by the end of September, the campaign was canceled.

Back in Washington on the morning of October 2, 1919, Edith entered Woodrow’s bedroom and discovered him sitting on his bed, unable to move his left arm or leg. He appeared to have suffered a stroke. Immediately, Edith barred servants from the family quarters and called in specialists, who verified the stroke and offered opinions as to Woodrow’s prognosis. She was advised that Woodrow must avoid worry and disturbances. This meant he could not perform his governmental duties, so she simply stepped into that role for six weeks. It is unclear how involved Edith was in actual policy and decision making, as she disavowed any part in running the nation and called her role a stewardship. She did comment later that she felt uniquely qualified to deal with matters because, as Woodrow’s confidante, she knew his feelings on most issues.

As Woodrow’s strength improved, the Wilsons settled into a new routine for the remainder of his presidency. Woodrow dispensed with issues of state in the morning, followed by lunch, an afternoon nap, dinner, some form of entertainment (he liked movies), and bedtime. Feeling better by the summer of 1920, Woodrow made it clear to those closest to him that he hoped to receive his party’s nomination for a third term as president. Edith and his doctor worried that another term would surely kill him. Fortunately for them, James Cox got the Democratic nomination—but lost the election to his Republican opponent. Woodrow’s last official function, therefore, was to escort newly elected President Warren G. Harding to his swearing-in ceremony.

Legacy

After leaving the White House, the Wilsons settled into a comfortable routine at their new house in Washington, D.C. Woodrow made it clear he wanted to remain out of the political spotlight. He did not want to use his fame, as former presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft had, to influence policy. Instead, he had thoughts of finishing a book on politics or writing his memoirs. Unfortunately, his declining health prohibited any real projects of this nature. It was a rather sheltered life he led as Edith and her brother Randolph, whom she hired as their secretary, censored all mail and news stories so as not to upset Woodrow. His moods continued to swing back and forth between anger, frustration, loneliness, and depression as his condition worsened. Edith said there were times when his eyes cleared from the confusion, and he seemed almost his old self. Yet those times were rare. The arteriosclerosis that had caused his stroke affected other portions of his body, including his eyesight. On Friday, February 1, 1924, news was released that Woodrow Wilson was ill, and at 11:55 a.m. on Sunday, February 3, the sixty-eight-year-old statesman died in his sleep.

For Edith, a new chapter began in her life. After a year of mourning, she emerged once more into the public light. She could now be seen traveling around Washington again, visiting friends and attending events to honor her husband. For the rest of her life, Edith strove to maintain control over all images of Woodrow, in order to protect him and his legacy. This protectiveness had been apparent throughout their marriage, but it became more pronounced after Woodrow’s death, especially when books began to be published about the former president.

Edith was convinced to write her own recollections of life with Woodrow. Titled My Memoir, her book contains unflattering descriptions of some notable people. Originally, friends thought she should soften the tone in which she wrote about people, but she refused. The book caused a stir when it was published in 1939. While some people disputed what Edith said, no one could dispute her clear devotion to Woodrow. In her eyes, he was the sage of his generation, whose goals of world peace were ruined by near-sighted politicians. In her depiction, he never made a wrong decision, but sometimes external factors served to paint him as less than successful.

Edith traveled quite a bit in her later life, making frequent trips to Europe and around the world. Her devotion to her family continued unabated. Relatives from across the country frequently stopped in to see Aunt Edith, and she welcomed their visits. Her last public appearance was in October, 1961, when at the age of eighty-nine she witnessed President John Kennedy sign into law a commission, approved by Congress, to establish a memorial for Woodrow Wilson. On December 28, 1961, she planned to attend the opening of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge across the Potomac River, but her heart gave out. It would have been Woodrow’s one hundred fifth birthday.

Edith Bolling Wilson never intended to ascend to the White House or to become involved in international issues, yet ultimately she wielded enormous power as First Lady. While she denied ever influencing Woodrow on matters of state, her own autobiography and the accounts of others dispute that statement. The depth of her influence, however, is debatable. Most, including Edith, argued that Woodrow was often inflexible and determined; when his mind was set, no one could get him to change. His love and respect for her, however, allowed Edith to become his closest confidante and adviser; a position which clearly contained power, even if she refused to acknowledge it. As to her alleged running the country during Woodrow’s illness, she was a protective wife and stated that she only followed orders, that Woodrow made the decisions and she conveyed them to the right people. For Edith, the greatest role she played was that of Woodrow’s wife.

Bibliography

Gould, Lewis L., ed. American First Ladies: Their Lives and Their Legacy. New York: Garland, 1996.

Grayson, Cary T. Woodrow Wilson: An Intimate Memoir. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1960.

Levin, Phyllis Lee. Edith and Woodrow: The Wilson White House. New York: Scribner, 2001.

Ross, Ishbel. Power with Grace: The Life Story of Mrs. Woodrow Wilson. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1975.

Smith, Gene. When the Cheering Stopped: The Last Years of Woodrow Wilson. New York: William Morrow, 1964.

Weinstein, Edwin A. Woodrow Wilson: A Medical and Psychological Biography. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1981.

Wilson, Edith Bolling. My Memoir. Reprint. New York: Arno Press, 1981.