Woodrow Wilson lived in a section of the 1900s.
Thomas Woodrow Wilson -LRB- December 28 , 1856 -- February 3 , 1924 -RRB- was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th President of the United States from 1913 to 1921 .. 28th President of the United States. List of Presidents of the United States. A member of the Democratic Party , Wilson served as the President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910 and as Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913 .. President of Princeton University. President of Princeton University. Democratic. Democratic Party ( United States ). Princeton University. Princeton University. Democratic Party. History of the United States Democratic Party. Governor of New Jersey. Governor of New Jersey. Wilson 's victory in the 1912 presidential election made him the first Southerner elected to the presidency since Zachary Taylor in 1848 , and Wilson became a leading force in the Progressive Movement .. 1912 presidential election. United States presidential election, 1912. Zachary Taylor. Zachary Taylor. Progressive Movement. Progressive Movement. He also led the United States during World War I , establishing an activist foreign policy known as `` Wilsonianism . ''. World War I. World War I. Wilsonianism. Wilsonianism. He was a major leader at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 , where he championed the proposed League of Nations .. Paris Peace Conference. Paris Peace Conference, 1919. League of Nations. League of Nations. However , he was unable to obtain Senate approval for U.S. membership .. He suffered debilitating strokes in September 1919 ; after that his wife and staff handled most of his presidential duties .. Born in Staunton , Virginia , he spent his early years in Augusta , Georgia and Columbia , South Carolina .. His father was a leading Presbyterian in the Confederacy during the Civil War , and Wilson was always a devout Presbyterian and a proud Southerner .. He took a law degree and then one of the first PhDs in political science awarded by Johns Hopkins University .. Johns Hopkins University. Johns Hopkins University. PhDs. Doctor of Philosophy. He served as a professor and scholar at various institutions before being selected as President of Princeton University , a position he held from 1902 to 1910 .. President of Princeton University. President of Princeton University. Princeton University. Princeton University. Wilson became a notable academic , arguing for the superiority of the parliamentary system .. parliamentary system. parliamentary system. He was associated with Grover Cleveland and the conservative Bourbon Democrats until 1910 , when he moved left .. Bourbon Democrats. Bourbon Democrats. With the help of state Democratic bosses , Wilson won the 1910 Democratic nomination for governor of New Jersey , and was elected as a fresh reformer , holding office from 1911 to 1913 .. Democratic. Democratic Party ( United States ). He overthrew the same bosses and gained a national reputation .. He won the 1912 Democratic presidential nomination after forty-six rounds of balloting , with support from William Jennings Bryan .. Democratic. Democratic Party ( United States ). 1912 Democratic presidential nomination. 1912 Democratic National Convention. Former President Theodore Roosevelt 's third party candidacy split the Republican Party , which re-nominated incumbent President William Howard Taft .. William Howard Taft. William Howard Taft. Theodore Roosevelt. Theodore Roosevelt. Republican Party. History of the United States Republican Party. Wilson won the 1912 election with a plurality of the popular vote and a large majority in the electoral college .. electoral college. Electoral college ( United States ). Leading the Congress that was now in Democratic hands , he oversaw the passage of progressive legislative policies unparalleled until the New Deal in 1933 .. Democratic. Democratic Party ( United States ). New Deal. New Deal. The Federal Reserve Act , Federal Trade Commission Act , the Clayton Antitrust Act , and the Federal Farm Loan Act were some of these new policies .. Federal Reserve Act. Federal Reserve Act. Federal Trade Commission Act. Federal Trade Commission Act. Clayton Antitrust Act. Clayton Antitrust Act. Federal Farm Loan Act. Federal Farm Loan Act. Having taken office one month after ratification of the Sixteenth Amendment , Wilson called a special session of Congress , whose work culminated in the Revenue Act of 1913 , introducing an income tax and lowering tariffs .. Sixteenth Amendment. Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Revenue Act of 1913. Revenue Act of 1913. income tax. Income Tax in the United States. Through passage of the Adamson Act that imposed an 8-hour workday for railroads , he averted a railroad strike and an ensuing economic crisis .. Adamson Act. Adamson Act. Upon the outbreak of World War I in 1914 , Wilson maintained a policy of neutrality , while pursuing a more aggressive policy in dealing with Mexico 's civil war .. World War I. World War I. Wilson staffed his government with Southern Democrats who implemented racial segregation at the Treasury , Navy and other Federal offices .. racial segregation. Racial segregation in the United States. In the presidential election of 1916 , Wilson faced former New York Governor Charles Evans Hughes .. presidential election of 1916. United States presidential election, 1916. Charles Evans Hughes. Charles Evans Hughes. By a narrow margin , he became the first Democrat since Andrew Jackson elected to two consecutive terms .. Andrew Jackson. Andrew Jackson. In April 1917 , when Germany had resumed unrestricted submarine warfare and sent the Zimmermann Telegram , Wilson asked Congress to declare war in order to make `` the world safe for democracy . ''. Germany. German Empire. Zimmermann Telegram. Zimmermann Telegram. The United States conducted military operations alongside the Allies , although without a formal alliance .. Allies. Allies of World War I. During the war , Wilson focused on diplomacy and financial considerations , leaving military strategy to the generals , especially General John J. Pershing .. John J. Pershing. John J. Pershing. Through the Selective Service Act , conscription sent 10,000 freshly trained soldiers to France per day by the summer of 1918 .. Selective Service Act. Selective Service Act of 1917. On the home front , he raised income taxes , borrowing billions of dollars through the public 's purchase of Liberty Bonds .. Liberty Bonds. Liberty Bonds. He set up the War Industries Board , promoted labor union cooperation , regulated agriculture and food production through the Lever Act , and took direct control of the nation 's railroad system .. War Industries Board. War Industries Board. labor union. Labor history of the United States. Lever Act. Food and Fuel Control Act. Wilson asked Congress for what became the Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918 , suppressing anti-draft activists .. Espionage Act of 1917. Espionage Act of 1917. Sedition Act of 1918. Sedition Act of 1918. The crackdown was intensified by his Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer to include expulsion of non-citizen radicals during the First Red Scare of 1919 -- 1920 .. was intensified by his Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer. Palmer Raids. First Red Scare. First Red Scare. Early in 1918 , Wilson issued his principles for an end to the war , the Fourteen Points , and in 1919 , following an armistice , he traveled to Paris , promoting the formation of a League of Nations and concluding the Treaty of Versailles .. League of Nations. League of Nations. Fourteen Points. Fourteen Points. armistice. Armistice of 11 November 1918. Treaty of Versailles. Treaty of Versailles. Following his return from Europe , Wilson embarked on a nationwide tour in 1919 to campaign for the treaty , but suffered a severe stroke .. The treaty was met with serious concern by Senate Republicans , and the Senate ultimately rejected the treaty .. Due to his stroke , Wilson secluded himself in the White House , disability having diminished his power and influence , and he failed in his bid to win re-nomination at the 1920 Democratic National Convention .. Democratic. Democratic Party ( United States ). 1920 Democratic National Convention. 1920 Democratic National Convention. Wilson retired at the end of his presidency , and he died in 1924 .