Throughout history women have been a source of strength and resolve for men. They’ve provided comfort and consolation along with being a pillar of the home. That’s why the role of the first lady is so important. The president may have the world on his shoulders, but he’ll always have his wife to lean on. Edith Wilson is no exception to this standard of women. She married into the White House and acted as an awe-inspiring companion to President Woodrow Wilson. Edith wasn’t just a good wife though, she was a great president as well. Though she wasn’t elected into office, Edith Wilson was the first female president of the United States of America. Edith was born into an impoverished family, but was able to climb up the social ladder with sophistication and grace. She was even able to woo the heart of the leader of the United States. And when push came to shove, she took control and led the country through a difficult transition in eras. Her legacy doesn’t do this amazing woman justice though. Hopefully this essay will.
To be able to even comprehend the astonishing life of Edith Bolling Galt Wilson, you must look at her past. She was born into an impoverished family in West Virginia in 1872 (Anthony). She left college and moved to Washington D.C. with her older sister. There she met Mr. Norman Galt, a wealthy jewelry store owner who was eight years her senior. They were married for twelve years until he passed in 1908 (Boyd Caroli). After her husband’s death, Edith flourished in the capital’s society. She met President Woodrow Wilson by association in 1915. Wilson, who was still mourning the death of his wife Ellen, was desperate for female companionship. The two married in 1916 and they led the country during the war to end all wars.
Following the end of World War I, Edith and Woodrow toured across the United States promoting the Treaty of Versailles. However during the tour, Woodrow’s health took a turn for the worse.
Ill from overexertion on his long tour for the peace treaty, President Wilson today canceled the speaking dates remaining on his schedule and turned back towards Washington. The President acted under orders from his physician, Dr. Cary T. Grayson, who said that Mr. Wilson was suffering from “nervous exhaustion” and that, while his condition was not alarming, a considerable period of rest would be “necessary for his recovery” (“Wilson Ill” 105).
Only a few knew the true condition the president was in at the time, which left the country in a precarious situation. The 25th amendment, which states the presidential line of succession, wouldn’t be proposed until the 1960s (Markel). Plus the vice president at the time, Thomas R. Marshall, opposed all presidential powers and duties (Kogan). The nation was still recovering from war and was in a fragile state. There was only one thing Edith could do: she seized control.
Edith believed the best way to improve the president’s health was to keep him in office. She didn’t want the country, or the government for that matter, to know that her husband was too ill to lead the United States. Urged by Woodrow’s doctors, Edith took upon herself “stewardship” where she decided what the president got to see. She screened policy papers for the president and made decisions depending on their urgency or importance. No major crisis happened while Edith was in office, though she did take it upon herself to fire the Secretary of State and a British ambassador. Even though she acted as a de facto president, Edith was very humble in her anecdote of the time when she was in power, “I myself never made a single decision regarding the disposition of public affairs.…The only decision that was mine was what was important and what was not, and the very important decision of when to present matters to my husband” (Anthony).
Edith was just being modest in her role in running the government. She was much more than a “steward”. She essentially served as the chief executive of the United States until the end of Woodrow’s term in 1921. Woodrow was voted out of office and was replaced by Warren G. Harding. The Wilsons stayed in Washington, and Edith lived there still even after Woodrow’s passing in 1924. Edith outlived Woodrow by four decades (Anthony). In her remaining years, she was a good wife still. She focused on publicizing Woodrow’s legacy rather than her own.
Edith Bolling Galt Wilson was a remarkable woman. She was born into a poor family, but quickly climbed the social ladder until she became the First Lady of the United States of America. As the president’s wife, she thought it essential to keep her husband in office, even after he suffered a massive stroke. When she served as a secret president, no major crisis happened even though a woman was in power. The government was able to run smoothly until the end of Wilson’s term, under the watchful eye of Edith. She cared for her husband until his death in 1924. She defended her husband’s legacy, at the expense of her own, until her death in 1961. Edith Wilson was an outstanding woman. Not only was she a good wife, but a great president as well. She wasn’t elected into office, but Edith Wilson was the first female president of the United States of America.