Dead PresidentsChris White is touring the gravesites, birthplaces and homes of the U.S. presidents. Here are his notes from those visits, which he probably means to be funny. Eh. 28. T. Woodrow WilsonBirthplace, Staunton, Virginia; Woodrow Wilson House and National Cathedral, Washington, DC Birthplace (January 26, 2007)
You can learn all about it at the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library in Staunton, Va., which is Wilson's birthplace and home through the ripe old age of one. It's somewhere between a full-fledged historical site and "George Washington Slept Here"; think "Woodrow Wilson Puked Up Baby Carrots Here." Son of Presbyterian minister, he grew up in the post-Civil War South, went to Princeton, got a law degree from U.Va., and a doctorate in polysci from The Johns Hopkins. He taught a bunch, wrote books, and became president of Princeton; ran for governor of New Jersey and two years after winning that was nominated for the Presidency. He beat a sitting president (Taft) and a former president (Roosevelt) in 1912 with only 42 percent of the popular vote, got re-elected in 1916, put U.S. troops in Europe to end World War I, tried to reorganize world order (14 Points) and basically killed himself through the intense effort to get the U.S. to join the League of Nations. (He had a huge stroke and actually kept it hidden from the public by going dark for about four months. Imagine trying that in the TV age.) We like to think that 9/11 kicked off some of the most drastic changes in world history, but imagine what people went through during the Wilson era (1913-21): Women's suffrage. Prohibition. Military draft. World War I crushed Europe and the United States became the most powerful country in the world. The Bolsheviks took over Russia. The 8-hour work day. End to child labor. Automobiles started to become widespread. Spanish Flu. NUTS. Thumbs up for the museum. They have some very cool relics (like his car) and some informative displays. The site also include "The Manse," where the Wilson family lived. Funny moment: the excellent tour guide points to the bed in the parents' room (the original, not a replica) and says "This is where it all began." She meant birth; I was thinking conception. When I asked she laughed and said "probably both." Kudos to you, lady. You're a pro. But on to what you're paying for ... FUN WILSON FACTS!
Update: Here Lies Mr. Wilson (1/3/08)As part of my birthday celebration last week, I stopped by the National Cathedral to pay my respects to everyone's favorite sexist, foot-dragging, doctorate-degree having, stroke-suffering president, T. Woodrow Wilson (also born Dec. 28). There are a few quotes on the walls and the seal of the president in the floor. But for a guy who led us through World War I and positioned the United States as the number one power broker of the 20th century, it's remarkably understated. The whole thing seems like an afterthought in the context of the Cathedral itself. But if you think Wilson has it bad, his wife Edith, who may have been effectively running the country after Wilson stroked out, is also in the cathedral ... in the vault underneath the floor where Wislon sits. So you're walking over top of her the whole time you're looking at him. Huh. Update: Wilson House (10/30/08)
Woodrow lived on S St. NW from 1921 to his death in 1924 (he died in the house) and his widow was there through something like 1960. He didn't have money when he left the government, so he had to use his stipend from the Nobel Peace Prize, plus cash gifts from buddies, to afford the place, which was selected in part for its accessibility -- it had an elevator and enough wide, spacious areas for the good doctor to get around with the aid of his manservant. Oh, and it had enough rooms for him to have a manservant. I got a partial (but free!) tour, highlighting all the social areas -- the Wilsons entertained all sorts of bigwigs, but since it was so tough for Wilson to get into formal wear, a lot of the time he'd take a powder and chill out in his library while his wife saw to the guests. They had a parlor decorated with White House swag, a nice-sized dining room and a sweet back yard, but the highlight has to be the library. Wilson spent most of his time there, shuffling back and forth from chair to bookshelf. It's a neat, stately room, with an interesting flourish: a roll-up movie screen mounted to the top of the bookshelf, and the movie projector to go with it. For 1921, that was one hell of a home entertainment system. The garage also has a treat (at least through the end of the year), in the form of Wilson's Rolls Royce Silver Ghost Touring Car; he couldn't drive it, but apparently he enjoyed being chauffered up and down S St. It has orange highlights to honor his Princeton ties, and his initials, plus a swank hood ornament. Six miles to the gallon, baby. ![]() |
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