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Show WILSON KNOWN AS EDUCATOR Held Many High Positions Before Becoming Head of Princeton Prince-ton University. HIS POLITICAL LIFE SHORT Was Elected Governor of New Jersey Jer-sey In 1910 and President of the United States In 1912 Of Scotch-Irish Descent and Born in Virginia. Dr. Woodrow Wilson was born at Staunton, Va., on December 28, 1856. He is the son of Dr. Joseph R. Wilson, a Presbyterian minister, and the grandson grand-son of Judge James Wilson, an Irishman Irish-man of Scotch descent, who migrated from County Down to Philadelphia In 1807. James Wilson prospered and became be-came manager of the Aurora, a leading lead-ing Democratic journal, Philadelphia then being the national capital. About two years after Woodrow Wilson's Wil-son's birth his father accepted a call to the pastorate of the Presbyterian church of Augusta, Ga. This was at that time one of the most influential congregations in the South, and the elder Wilson remained as Its pastor throughout the Civil war. He was recognized rec-ognized as one of the leading divines if the South. Woodrow was only five years old when the war broke out, and as Augusta Au-gusta was not the scene of any actual Kmfilct, the boy knew little about what (vas going on. He was also shielded from the stormy passions and violent prejudices of the war, and grew up Into manhood unwarped by sectional hntp. It was at Steubenville, Ohio, that Joseph Ruggles Wilson, the father of Woodrow Wilson, was born on February Febru-ary 28, 1822. He was the scholar of James Wilson's family. Jefferson college col-lege graduated him as valedictorian in l!i44, after which he taught school and prepared for the Presbyterian ministry minis-try at the Western Theological semi-aary semi-aary and Princeton seminary. In 1849 Joseph R. Wilson married Janet Wood-row, Wood-row, daughter of Dr. Thomas Wood-row, Wood-row, a famous Presbyterian minister of the day, who was a descendant from undent English stock. The Rev. Mr. Wilson became the father of two .laughters before he was called as pastor pas-tor to Staunton, Va., where a third child, a son, was born, and christened Thomas Woodrow. The early years of the president's life were spent in the interesting though inconspicuous pursuit of knowledge. knowl-edge. He specialized in the law, In American history, and in political economy. With this foundation laid, he burst upon the political world in 1910 when he was elected governor of New Jersey on the Democratic ticket. In the second year of his governorship governor-ship his boom for president was started start-ed under the management of William F. McCombs, one of his former students stu-dents at Princeton. During the pre-convention pre-convention months no less than half a dozen other entrants for presidential honors made their appearance. At the subsequent Democratic na-(lonnl na-(lonnl convention at Baltimore, June 28-July 2, Mr. Wilson beat out all entries en-tries with a vote that increased at each roll call till his victory was recorded re-corded on the forty-sixth ballot. In the election that followed he was an easy victor over the Taft and Roosevelt Roose-velt tickets, though his entire popular vote did not reach that accorded William Wil-liam Jennings Bryan in 1908. Of Scotch-Irish Descent. President Wilson is the son of Joseph Jo-seph R. and Jessie Woodrow Wilson, disciples of the Scotch Presbyterian faith. He was born in the manse of n small church in Staunton, Va., where his father was curate. From Virginia the Wilsons moved to Georgia, when Woodrow was about two years old. There the president spent his early boyhood "in the heart of the most terrible tempest that ever swept over the country" the Civil war. From Georgia the family moved to South Carolina. In the Old Palmetto State the future president budded into youth and began to think upon a career. ca-reer. He first attended Davidson college, col-lege, where he put In one year of hard study. After this one year at college. Wood-row Wood-row remained at home during the next twelve months, transferring to his younger brothers a part of the learning learn-ing be had brought with him from Davidson. Da-vidson. This brings his biography up to the yorn' 1875 a momentous year for Woodrow Wilson and for Princeton university. It was the year he entered en-tered Princeton. He had not been at rrinceton long before he found out just what lie wanted want-ed to do. And that thing was to be a public man ; to devote his life to the service of his country. This determination came with a thrill upon reading In an English magazine mag-azine a series of articles on the British parliament, presenting in graphic language lan-guage the dramatic scenes enacted in the British legislature. He never forgot for-got the picture. He hunted up everything every-thing in the library he could find bearing bear-ing upon this subject and devoured It, and from that day to this has never wavered in his determination to play an active rart in the stirring scenes on his country's political stage. Mr. Wilson began Ills preparation at once. He subordinated his regular college col-lege work to the task of fitting himself him-self for public life. '" He devoted all his energy and every faculty he possessed to the furnishing of his mind to the end that he might be an authority on government and the history of government and be a leader In the affairs of his country. No man ever subjected himself to sterner discipline or worked more steadfastly toward a fixed goal. He first taught himself to write shorthand in order that he might make rapid dl gests of what he read and heard. H,i also practiced composition assiduously, and extemporaneous speaking that he might be skilled and ready in offhand debate. Graduated With Famous Class. He graduated in the famous Princeton Prince-ton class of '79, on whose roster were many names destined to become more or less famous. Among these was Mahlon C. Pitney, who later sat on the bench of the United States Supreme court. When Mr. Wilson left Princeton he had come to the conclusion thnt the most direct avenue into public life wns through the law. Accordingly, during the following year he entered the University Uni-versity of Virginia, becoming versed in the rudiments of the law under the teachings of Dr. John D. Minor. Almost at once he became a significant signifi-cant figure at the Virginia university. He won both the "Oratorical" and "Writing" prizes, and under the influ- nn Vile, niilotif nlnGcntibc nf tVio South he took a more active interest in college athletics than he had taken at Princeton, although he was never what might be called an enthusiast In these matters. After two years' study at the University Uni-versity of Virginia, Mr. Wilson selected select-ed Atlanta as the field of initial practice prac-tice at the bar. He joined a young man named Renick, and the two went to the Georgia capital and opened law offices under the firm name of "Renick & Wilson." Young Wilson soon discovered dis-covered that .he was sitting in at a waiting game, and during the following follow-ing year, 1S83, he entered Johns Hopkins Hop-kins university, studying history and political economy under Herbert B. Adams and Richard T. Ely. Professor at Bryn Mawr. His next field of activity was at Bryn Mawr, the famous college, which had just been opened But as a sort of preparation for ?iis Bryn Mawr professorship pro-fessorship he journeyed to Savannah, where he marked Miss Ellen Louise Axson, one of Savannah's fairest daughters. She died at the White House August 6, 1914. December 8, 1915, Mr. Wilson married at Washington Washing-ton Mr? . Edith Boiling Gait of that city. The president has three daughters, Miss Margaret Woodrow Wilson, Mrs. Frances Bowes Sayre and Mrs. William Gibbs McAdoo. Mr. Wilson remained at Bryn Mawr three years teaching history and economy. econ-omy. His work had won him an en-vlah'e en-vlah'e reputation as a college instructor, instruc-tor, and his services were next secured se-cured by Wesleyan university, at Mld-dletown. Mld-dletown. Conn. While at Wesleyan university Doctor Wilson published another book, "The State." He again joined his fortunes with Princeton when In the fall of 1890 he took the chair of Jurisprudence and politics at that Institution. He held this chair at Princeton for twelve years, writing during this period his famous work, "A History of the American Amer-ican People." Made President of Princeton. In 1902 he was called to the presidency presi-dency of Princeton. lie wns holding this office when the Democrats of New Jersey chose him as their candidate for the governorship. governor-ship. He accepted, and was elected after a sharp campaign. Within six months after assuming the governorship he had Induced the legislature to pass a series of laws ol the most advanced type, such as the primary election law. the corrupt practices act, the employers liability act, a public utilities act, a municipal commission government law and sterilization or nntl-procreation act. The Wilsons in America date about a century back, when James Wilson, grandfather of the president, came over from Scotland and settled In Philadelphia. From there be went to Steubenville, O., which wns then on the frontier. lie published a newspaper newspa-per and practiced a little common law and was known as "judge." The president's father, Joseph R. Wilson, was born in Steubenville and grow up amid the hardy and manhood-making surroundings of the pioneer country. |