Show HAS HAD BUSY LIFE long career as educator before he entered the world of politics IS A VIRGINIAN BY BIRTH eighth man from that state to be chosen chief executive of the nation practice of the law wat was at one time his vocation born at staunton va december 28 1850 graduated front from princeton 1879 1870 degree A 13 studied law at university of virginia studied history and political econ economy oiny at johns hopkins university ver sity practiced law at atlanta ga 1882 3 married ellen louise axson of savannah ga june 24 1885 1685 professor of history and political economy bryn mawr college 1885 1 8 and at wesleyan Wesle university 1888 00 90 professor of jurisprudence and politics princeton university 1890 1002 1902 elected president of princeton university 1902 elected governor of new jersey in 1910 elected to presidency of the united states november 6 5 1912 mr wilson Is a member of the american academy of arts and letters the american academy or of political and social science the american historical atlon the american economic association mr mi wilson allson Is the author of the following hooks books and essays congressional government a study of american politics the state elements of historical and practical politics division DIv Islon and reunion an old master and other political george gaorge washington wid and A history of the american people president woodrow wilson was fifty six years two months and four lays days old when lie he took the oath of office march 4 1913 he was the eighth native of virginia to attain the presidency about two years after woodrow wll wil sons birth its ills father accepted a call to the pastorate of the presbyterian ca church burch of auguta ga tills this was at thili that time one of th ii most influential atai congregations fin in file the south and the elder wilson allson remained as its pastor throughout the civil war he was recognized as one of the leading divines of the south woodrow was only five alve years old when the war broke out and as augusta was not the scene of tiny any actual conflict the hoy boy knew little about what was going on ile he was also shielded from the sto stormy rilly passions and violent prejudices of the war and grew up into ninn manhood hood by sectional hate the elder wilson did not force the education of ills his son ile he took him on journeys about the city visiting factories and explaining to him how cloth Is made ile he also read to him by the hour but the boy himself lid did not learn to read until long after tile the average age when children are supposed to read this Is rather remarkable when one thinks of th the e omnivorous appetite for books the president has always had but when lie he did learn to read lie he more than made up for lost time ile he Is at the present time one of the alie most widely read won men in this or any other country th alie early years of the presidents lif life were ere spent in the interesting though inconspicuous pursuit of knowledge e he specialized in the law in ili american history and in political economy with this foundation laid he burst upon the political world in 1010 when ho he was elected governor of new jersey on the democratic ticket in the second year of ills hla governorship ills hla boom for president was started under tinder the management of william V P mccombs one of hla his former students at princeton during the pre convention months no less than half a dozen other entrants for presidential honors made their appearance at af the subsequent democratic national convention tit at baltimore june 28 july 2 mr wilson beat out all entries with a i vote that increased at each roll in call ll 11 till ills victory was recorded on oil the forty sixth ballot in the election that followed lie he was nii easy victor over the tatt tart and roosevelt tickets though his entire popular vote did not rench reach that ne accorded corded william wililam jennings bryan in 1908 of scotch irish descent president wilson allson Is the son of joseph it and jessie woodrow wilson disciples of the scotch presbyterian faith he was born b orn tit in the manse of a mull church lu in staunton va where hl father was curate prom frow virginia the wilsons moved ta to 0 georgia when woodrow was about two years old from georgia tile the family moved to south carolina in the old palmetto state the future president budded into youth and began to think upon aca a ca reer ile he first attended davidson Dav ldson college where lie put in one year 0 of hard study after this one year nt at college woodrow tit nt home during lie next twelve months transferring to lits his younger brothers a i inart ot oc the learning lie had brought with him from da vl vadon lon ns brings ills his biography up tip to the year 1875 a year for woodrow wilson and for princeton university it was the year lie entered princeton ile he had not been tit nt princeton long bea before re lie found out just what lie he wanted to to do and that thing wais to be it a public mini mail to devote ills life to tile service of nt ills his country tills this determination came with a thrill upon reading in nn an english magazine it a series of articles on the british Biltl sli parliament presenting tn in graphic ton lan the dramatic scenes enact enacted edin in the british legislature ile he never forgot the picture lie he hunted up everything in the library he could find bearing upon this subject and devoured it and from that day to tills this lins lias never wavered in ills determination to play an active part in the stirring scones scenes on his count rys political stage mr wilson began its ills preparation nt at once ire he subordinated ills his regular college work to the task of fitting himself for public life lie ile devoted all his energy tind and every faculty lie he possessed to the furnishing of ills his mind to the end that lie he might be nn authority on government and the history of government go eminent and be a leader in the affairs of ills his country no man ever subjected himself to sterner discipline or worked more steadfastly towards a fixed goal lie he first taught himself to write shorthand in order that lie might make rapid digests of what lie read and heard ile he also practiced composition assiduously and extemporaneous speaking that lie he might be skilled and ready in offhand debate dela te graduated with famous class ile he graduated in the famous princeton class of 79 on whose roster were many names destined to become more or less famous among these there was mahlon 0 pitney who later asit ant on tile bench of the united states supreme court when mr air wilson lett left princeton lie he had come to the conclusion that the most direct avenue into public life was through the law accordingly luring during the following year lie he entered the university of Virg virginia hila becoming versed in the rudiments of the lie law under the th teachings tench ings of dr john D minor almost at once lie he became q u significant figure nt at the virginia university lie ile won both the oratorical rind writing prizes and under the influence of his ardent classmates of the south lie he took a more active interest in college than lie he had taken tit nt princeton although lie he ans never what might ile he called an enthusiast in phoso matters after two to years study at the hie university of virginia mr air wilson selected atlanta as the field of initial practice tit at the bar ile he joined a young man named renick Iten lck and the two to went to the georgia capital and opened lm law offices under the firm name of renick Ilen lck wilson young wilson soon als di covered vint that lie he was sitting in at ft a waiting game gaine nil and during the hie following year 1883 lie he entered johns hopkins university studying history tind political economy under herbert heibert 15 adkins and T ely professor at bryn mawr his next field of activity was nt at bryn mawr alair the famous college which had just been opened but ns a sort of preparation for ills his bryn mawr professorship fessor ship lip he journeyed to savannah where lie married miss ellen eillen louise axson one of savannah savannahs Savan fairest flaugh daughters she died nt at tile the white house houg e august 6 1914 8 1915 1015 mr wilson married tit nt washington mrs edith bolling boiling gait of that city the president has three daughters miss margaret woodrow wilson mrs airs frances bowes sayre and mrs AIN william gibbs mcadoo cAdoo lI mr air wilson remained at bryn mawr three years tears teaching history and economy ills his work had won him nil an enviable reputation its as a college instructor and ills his services were next net secured hy by wesleyan Wesle university at it arid dle town conn while nt at wesleyan Wesle university hersity doctor wilson published another book the state ile he again joined ills his fortunes with princeton prince ton when in the fall of 1890 1860 he be took the chair of jurisprudence and politics nt at that institution ile he held this chair nt at princeton for twelve years w writing during this period lit his famous work A history of the american ican people made president of princeton in 1002 lie he was called to the presidency of princeton lie he was holding this office when the democrats of new jersey chose him as their candidate for the governorship ile he accepted and was elected after n sharp campaign within six months after assuming the governorship he had induced the legislature to pass a n series of laws of the most advanced type such ns as the primary ary election law the corrupt practices net act the employers liability net act it public utilities act a municipal commission government law and sterilization or antl anti procreation net the wilsons tit in america dote date about a century back when james wilson grandfather of the president came over front from scotland and settled in philadelphia from there he went to Steu steubenville benville 0 which was then on the frontier iri HP published a newspaper and practiced a little common commom law and was known ns as judge the presidents anther joseph 11 wilson was horn born in Steu steubenville benville and grew up neild the hardy and manhood malilong makant surroundings of the pioneer couraw |