Edith Wilson: Secret President
Peyton Impola
In 1919, the inconceivable happened. The sitting president–Woodrow Wilson–suffered from a severe stroke, which left him incapacitated and unable to fulfill his duties as president. The executive branch was met with a serious problem–who would serve as president for the remainder of Mr. Wilson’s term? The Constitution had procedures in place to deal with succession, but only in the case of the death of the president. Mr. Wilson was not dead, and the issue of how to proceed with the situation became quite a conundrum. The entire situation was shrouded in secrecy–Mrs. Wilson wanted to protect the honor and dignity of the president, and maintain an image of strength in the executive branch. Very few people were privy to the state of President Wilson’s health; however, there was one glaring issue with President Wilson’s ailment–who would carry out the duties of the presidency?
An unexpected hero stepped up–Mr. Wilson’s wife Edith. It was never Mrs. Wilson’s intention to step into a position of power, nor did she wish to usurp her husband. The action taken by Mrs. Wilson was one of a wife who wished to protect her husband from the cruelty of his situation. In fact, she told the President’s doctor “I am not thinking of the country right now, I am thinking of my husband.” Despite the fact that her motivations were very clearly not motivated by any sort of lust for power, Mrs. Wilson did assume a prominent political role.
Mrs. Wilson turned away interlopers, and helped the inner circle carry out a sort of “bedside government.” She kept the state of Mr. Wilson’s health a secret from his staff, cabinet, and Congress. At one point, she even went as far as to try and hide his paralysis from visitors by shrouding his left side with blankets. While Mrs. Wilson did not initiate any programs or policies, she took over many of the routine duties of the president. She would read letters and reports from the various Secretaries of Wilson’s cabinet, and decide which matters required presidential action, and which could be deferred to another cabinet head.
Mrs. Wilson became the sole communication link between the President and the rest of the executive branch. It was she alone who decided which issues were important enough to be dealt with by the president. Doing so was a decisive political action by Mrs. Wilson, something that was unheard of for a woman during this time, even if it was not done intentionally.
The early 20th century was a very important time for the Women’s Rights Movement. While the movement had its roots in the mid-1800s, it did not gain significant traction until the early 1900s. The suffrage movement became more militant in its fight for political equality. President Wilson himself became subject to criticism throughout his presidency, with suffragists staging multiple, controversial protests aimed at the president. Political equality during this time was something women had to fight for, so a woman holding as much power as Mrs. Wilson did–even indirectly–was a feat for gender equality.
In 1921, the Wilsons left the White House and retired to a comfortable home where Mr. Wilson died three years later. Mrs. Wilson would live on for many many years as an influential and respected member of the Capitol–she even rode in President Kennedy’s inaugural parade. Edith Wilson died on December 28th, 1961–the same date as her beloved husband’s birthday. While she had no intentions of becoming a feminist icon through her actions after the president’s stroke, Mrs. Wilson’s legacy is one of a woman who exercised immense political power in a time when women had to fight for the bare minimum of political equality.
Other Works in this Series
Patsy Mink and the Road to Title IX
Bell Hooks: Empowering Marginalized Women
Sources
Woodrow Wilson–Strokes and Denial
