Woodrow Wilson
Twenty-Eighth
President,
1913–1921
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It is a fearful thing to lead this great peaceful people into war, into the most terrible and disastrous of all wars, civilization itself seeming to be in the balance. But the right is more precious than peace, and we shall fight for the things which we have always carried nearest our hearts—for democracy.
Peaceful Warrior: Big changes occurred during Woodrow Wilson's term. Among other things, it became illegal to sell alcohol, and women won the right to vote. Though he was originally against U.S. involvement in World War I, Wilson entered the U.S. into the war after Germany sank American ships. After the war, Wilson won a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to create the League of Nations, the international institution that served as an early model for the United Nations.
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Portrait by
Edmund Charles Tarbell
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1921
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NPG.65.42
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Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery
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Fast Facts
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Party: |
Democrat
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Date of Birth: |
Sunday, December 28, 1856
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Date of Death: |
Sunday, February 3, 1924
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Vice President: |
Thomas R. Marshall
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First Lady: |
Ellen Louise Axson Wilson, Edith Bolling Galt Wilson
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