Tomas Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924), played by Judd Bankert, was an American academic and politician who served as the 28th President of the United States. Born in Staunton, Virginia on December 28, 1856, Wilson was raised in Georgia. Wilson graduated from Princeton University in 1879, studied law at the University of Virginia from 1879 to 1880, and did graduate work in history, economics, and political science at Johns Hopkins University, receiving his Ph.D. in 1886. While teaching at various colleges and universities, including Bryn Mawr College and Princeton, Wilson emerged as a leading political scientist, historian, and author. In 1902, he was selected to serve as President of Princeton University, a wilsonposition that he held until his resignation in 1910, when he successfully ran for Governor of New Jersey. His reputation as a reformer led to his nomination for President by the Democratic Party in 1912. During his first term from 1913 to 1917, Wilson oversaw the New Freedom program, which aimed to expand economic opportunity and encourage competition. This included the establishment of the Federal Reserve System, new antitrust legislation, the first child-labor act, federal rural credits, and the eight-hour work day for railroad workers. Shortly after a narrow reelection, Wilson initially sought to mediate the First World War, only to see his own country drawn into the conflict in April 1917. When the war ended in November 1918, Wilson helped negotiate a peace treaty that included a plan for the League of Nations, a precursor to the United Nations. However, a Republican controlled Congress led to a controversy over ratification of the treaty. While engaged on a speaking tour to rally support, Wilson suffered a debilitating stroke which left him infirm. He finished the rest of his term, relying on the assistance of his wife, Edith, who assumed some Presidential functions and delegated others to cabinet members. On February 3, 1924, at the age of sixty-seven, Woodrow Wilson died at his home in Washington, D.C. He was survived by his second wife, Edith Bolling, and his daughters: Margaret Wilson, Jessie Sayre, and Eleanor McAdoo.
Broadcast In: English Duration: 0:56:00