Blackwell Reference Online

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(b. Staunton, Va., 28 December 1856; d. Washington, D.C., 3 February 1924) He was the first president to earn a Ph.D. (Johns Hopkins, 1885), became a nationally renowned educational leader, and was Princeton University president (1902–10). A P rogressive E ra reformer, he served as N.J. governor (1910–11). In 1912, after a come-from-behind victory over Champ C lark for the Democratic nomination for president, he promised a N ew F reedom and took 41 states, but just 41.9 percent of the vote. He actively involved himself in passing the U nderwood —S immons T ariff , F ederal R eserve system , F ederal T rade C ommission , and C layton A ntitrust A ct . He won reelection narrowly by just 12 electoral votes and with 49.4 percent of the ballots on the campaign slogan “he kept us out of war.” The peaceful president twice ordered US intervention in M exico , including a major invasion of the M exican border . Unrestricted submarine warfare led him to bring the US into W orld W ar i in 1917. He attempted to influence a just peace by his F ourteen P oints and attended the Versailles peace negotiations, but was disappointed by their final outcome. He waged a futile struggle to win US ratification of the treaty of V ersailles and American entry to the L eague of N ations until he was incapacitated by a stroke at Pueblo, Colo., on 25 September 1919. He refused to resign, but ... log in or subscribe to read full text