This memoir of Woodrow Wilson is a long-neglected treasure, full of the candid and perceptive observations of Wilson's brother-in-law and close friend, Stockton Axson. A charming and talented scholar of English literature, Axson became one of the few people in whom the reticent Wilson confided freely. Axson and Wilson met in 1884, when Wilson was courting Axson's sister Ellen, while Axson was still a school boy. The friendship of the two men ended only with the president's death in 1924. Axson's fondness for his mentor, "Brother Woodrow," pervades this account, but he is frank in his analysis of Wilson's flaws. As one of only a few personal memoirs of Wilson, this book offers a uniquely intimate view of the "human side" of the introverted president--and a sensitive evocation of the social life of a bygone era.

Axson begins with memories of Wilson's father and of Wilson's life as a young man, including his engagement and marriage to Ellen Axson and his early teaching posts. Wilson taught for twelve years at Princeton University before his accession to its presidency, and Axson also taught there during this period. After Wilson began his stormy career as president of Princeton, Axson's bachelor quarters were often a meeting place for the "Wilson faction." His lucid analysis of Wilson's successes and failures as Princeton's president is one of the highlights of the book--and probably the best record of these years of Wilson's life.

The book ends with a look behind the scenes of Wilson's career as governor of New Jersey and president of the United States, and an analysis of the growing complexity of his personality. "It is Uncle Joseph Wilson's father] in him," observed one relative of Wilson's seeming rigidity. From the standpoint of a loving family member, Axson offers a penetrating but sympathetic report on how Wilson changed as he bore the terrible burdens of World War I and its aftermath.

Originally published in 1993.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

This first volume of a biography that covers the years 1902-1912, which include Wilson's presidency of Princeton, his governorship of New Jersey, and his election to the Presidency. It seeks to get at the reasons behind his actions in this critical period. Originally published in 1947. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Beginning with Wilson's tour of Belgium, this volume then moves to the last days of the peace conference. A great wave of relief sweeps over council chambers in Paris when a new German government sends word that it will accept the peace treaty unconditionally: restoration of peace occurs with the signing of the treaty in the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles on June 28. That same night Wilson boards his train for Brest to return to the United States on the George Washington. The voyage provides a period of leisure for Wilson, but there are signs that his strength has been strained beyond endurance. On board ship he tries and fails to compose one of the most important speeches of his life--an address to the Senate to accompany his presentation of the treaty to that body. On his return he manages to complete it only hours before delivering it on July 10. And he responds equivocally to the challenge--the greatest in his career as a legislative leader--to create a solid pro-League coalition and outmaneuver his opponent, Henry Cabot Lodge, who seems bent on blocking American membership in the League of Nations. Then, on July 19, Wilson suffers what is most likely a small stroke. It disorients and disables him, and, as this volume ends, he is still without any strategy to assure ratification of the treaty. Publication of Volume 61 ends the Peace Conference Volumes, which began with Volume 53.

This first volume of a biography that covers the years 1902-1912, which include Wilson's presidency of Princeton, his governorship of New Jersey, and his election to the Presidency. It seeks to get at the reasons behind his actions in this critical period. Originally published in 1947. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Woodrow Wilson was swept into the White House on the basis of a program characterized by the words "The New Freedom." The exciting story of his attempts to put this program into effect, in spite of a sometimes recalcitrant congress, makes up the body of this book, the second volume in Professor Link's monumental biography of Wilson. Covering the first two years of his presidency and concentrating on domestic issues, Professor Link shows Wilson meeting the complex demands of his new office, selecting his cabinet, paying political debts, organizing congressional support, seeking the approval of the public. Wilson was deeply committed to the reform program, and in the fight to put it into effect the personalities of the Wilson circle and its opponents appear vividly. The picture of Wilson as an astute politician adapting and shaping the forces around him is especially revealing in view of the popular stereotype of Wilson as an impractical, uncompromising idealist. The book also describes the Mexican intervention and the beginnings of the New Freedom diplomacy in Latin American affairs, taking the reader up to the brink of World War I. It is a worthy sequel to the famous first volume, Wilson: The Road to the White House, and will leave its readers eager for the next volume on the problems of neutrality. Originally published in 1956. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Critics have called the two prior volumes in this life of Woodrow Wilson "a model of political biography" (Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.), and "a capital piece of work, critical and judicious" (Henry Steele Commager). In this third volume Arthur Link covers the period between the immediate background of World War I and the not, to Great Britain of October 21, 1915, marking the end of Wilson's fight to lay solid foundations for American neutrality. Volume 3 also adds new material on American involvement in Mexico, the Caribbean and the Far East. A less stern picture of Wilson emerges-the picture of man struggling patiently and cautiously to avoid entanglement in the European war, work out a reasonable adjustment to British sea power, and meet the German challenge of submarine warfare in a mod rate restrained manner. Originally published in 1960. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

This memoir of Woodrow Wilson is a long-neglected treasure, full of the candid and perceptive observations of Wilson's brother-in-law and close friend, Stockton Axson. A charming and talented scholar of English literature, Axson became one of the few people in whom the reticent Wilson confided freely. Axson and Wilson met in 1884, when Wilson was courting Axson's sister Ellen, while Axson was still a school boy. The friendship of the two men ended only with the president's death in 1924. Axson's fondness for his mentor, "Brother Woodrow," pervades this account, but he is frank in his analysis of Wilson's flaws. As one of only a few personal memoirs of Wilson, this book offers a uniquely intimate view of the "human side" of the introverted president--and a sensitive evocation of the social life of a bygone era. Axson begins with memories of Wilson's father and of Wilson's life as a young man, including his engagement and marriage to Ellen Axson and his early teaching posts. Wilson taught for twelve years at Princeton University before his accession to its presidency, and Axson also taught there during this period. After Wilson began his stormy career as president of Princeton, Axson's bachelor quarters were often a meeting place for the "Wilson faction." His lucid analysis of Wilson's successes and failures as Princeton's president is one of the highlights of the book--and probably the best record of these years of Wilson's life. The book ends with a look behind the scenes of Wilson's career as governor of New Jersey and president of the United States, and an analysis of the growing complexity of his personality. "It is Uncle Joseph [Wilson's father] in him," observed one relative of Wilson's seeming rigidity. From the standpoint of a loving family member, Axson offers a penetrating but sympathetic report on how Wilson changed as he bore the terrible burdens of World War I and its aftermath. Originally published in 1993. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Woodrow Wilson was swept into the White House on the basis of a program characterized by the words "The New Freedom." The exciting story of his attempts to put this program into effect, in spite of a sometimes recalcitrant congress, makes up the body of this book, the second volume in Professor Link's monumental biography of Wilson. Covering the first two years of his presidency and concentrating on domestic issues, Professor Link shows Wilson meeting the complex demands of his new office, selecting his cabinet, paying political debts, organizing congressional support, seeking the approval of the public. Wilson was deeply committed to the reform program, and in the fight to put it into effect the personalities of the Wilson circle and its opponents appear vividly. The picture of Wilson as an astute politician adapting and shaping the forces around him is especially revealing in view of the popular stereotype of Wilson as an impractical, uncompromising idealist. The book also describes the Mexican intervention and the beginnings of the New Freedom diplomacy in Latin American affairs, taking the reader up to the brink of World War I. It is a worthy sequel to the famous first volume, Wilson: The Road to the White House, and will leave its readers eager for the next volume on the problems of neutrality. Originally published in 1956. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Critics have called the two prior volumes in this life of Woodrow Wilson "a model of political biography" (Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.), and "a capital piece of work, critical and judicious" (Henry Steele Commager). In this third volume Arthur Link covers the period between the immediate background of World War I and the not, to Great Britain of October 21, 1915, marking the end of Wilson's fight to lay solid foundations for American neutrality. Volume 3 also adds new material on American involvement in Mexico, the Caribbean and the Far East. A less stern picture of Wilson emerges-the picture of man struggling patiently and cautiously to avoid entanglement in the European war, work out a reasonable adjustment to British sea power, and meet the German challenge of submarine warfare in a mod rate restrained manner. Originally published in 1960. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

This massive collection includes all important letters, speeches, interviews, press conferences, and public papers on Woodrow Wilson. The volumes make available as never before the materials essential to understanding Wilson's personality, his intellectual, religious, and political development, and his careers as educator, writer, orator, and statesman. The Papers not only reveal the private and public man, but also the era in which he lived, making the series additionally valuable to scholars in various fields of history between the 1870's and the 1920's.

This volume opens on Christmas Eve, 1920, in the waning days of the Wilson administration. Wilson and his advisers have no program other than to bring the administration to a decent end. The Cabinet meets for the last time on March 1, 1921. Emotions run high as various members recall the battles they have fought with their chief, and Wilson, tears rolling down his cheeks, dismisses them with the benediction: "Gentlemen, it is one of the handicaps of my physical condition that I cannot control myself as I've been accustomed to do. God bless you all." The end of the Wilson presidency evokes an outpouring of letters to Wilson and editorials in leading newspapers. These documents review his entire public career, from the presidency of Princeton University to the end of his presidency of the United States, and describe the Wilsonian legacy: high standards of educational and public service, courageous leadership in domestic reform, constancy of principle, and a new vision of the world united for progress, democracy, human rights, and peace. Wilson participates in the formalities preceding Harding's inauguration, and the transition from the White House to a new home on S Street proceeds smoothly. As Wilson's health improves, he forms a law partnership with his former Secretary of State, Bainbridge Colby, and privately seeks political influence, while maintaining absolute silence on affairs of state.

The opening of this volume finds the Big Four in the midst of the gravest crisis of the peace conference set off by the British cabinet's demand for drastic softening of the terms of the peace treaty to be concluded with Germany. In response to a wave of appeasement sweeping through the British Isles, Lloyd George says that he cannot and will not sign the peace treaty unless his colleagues agree to negotiate sympathetically with the Germans on their reparations obligations, their early admission to the League of Nations, and other matters.

For the entire period covered by this volume, the atmosphere of the Council of Four is supercharged by bitter debates and recriminations. Wilson and Clemenceau try to hold to the terms of the preliminary treaty. As the bitterness of the debates in the Council of Four grows in intensity, Wilson, weakened by a small stroke just before the eruption of the crisis, gradually loses the will and strength to oppose Lloyd George. Throughout, Wilson tries to play the role of peacemaker between Lloyd George and Clemenceau but ends by capitulating to Lloyd George's demands. The result is that the final peace treaty taking shape constitutes the first step in the appeasement of Germany.

This massive collection includes all important letters, speeches, interviews, press conferences, and public papers on Woodrow Wilson. The volumes make available as never before the materials essential to understanding Wilson's personality, his intellectual, religious, and political development, and his careers as educator, writer, orator, and statesman. The Papers not only reveal the private and public man, but also the era in which he lived, making the series additionally valuable to scholars in various fields of history between the 1870's and the 1920's.

This massive collection includes all important letters, speeches, interviews, press conferences, and public papers on Woodrow Wilson. The volumes make available as never before the materials essential to understanding Wilson's personality, his intellectual, religious, and political development, and his careers as educator, writer, orator, and statesman. The Papers not only reveal the private and public man, but also the era in which he lived, making the series additionally valuable to scholars in various fields of history between the 1870's and the 1920's.

The period spanned by this volume was in many ways one of the most crucial of Wilson's career. After the New Jersey legislature adjourned in late April, Wilson set out upon a speaking tour that carried him through the Middle West, up the West Coast, back into the Middle West, and then into the South. This tour was the trial run of the preconvention campaign, and strongly favorable public reaction encouraged Wilson to think seriously about seeking the democratic nomination.

Wilson's speeches on this first great nation tour are printed in full or are represented by extensive news reports. They show the rapid development of Wilson's political thought and his emergence as a great progressive leader of his day.

Returning to New Jersey in early June of 1911, Wilson addressed himself to important local problems in speeches, a number of which are included here. This volume also provides major speeches given during the last half of the year, when Wilson's candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination became increasingly promising. The incoming letters amply illustrate public recognition of the new leader, and Wilson's personal letters describe his family life and his reactions to political events and personalities.

In a dazzling array of the most recent research and writing, the contributors deal with Wilson's approach to the Mexican and Russian revolutions; his Polish policy; his relationship with the European Left, world order, and the League of Nations; and Wilson and the problems of world peace. They show that Wilson was in many ways the pivot of twentieth-century world affairs; his commitment to anticolonialism, antiimperialism, and self-determination still guides U.S. foreign policy.
Originally published in 1982.
A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.

"The Papers of Woodrow Wilson" is the first comprehensive edition of the documentary record of the life and thought of the twenty-eighth President of the United States and the first full-scale edition of the papers of any modern American president.

The years 1898-1900 saw the nation's assumption of an active international role. Wilson's reactions to the Spanish-American War and to unfolding events on the national and international scenes are documented in newspaper reports of his speeches during this period. Reluctant to see the United States embark on an imperialistic course, Wilson defended ardently the anti-imperialists' right to dissent, but concluded that America must acquire Puerto Rico and the Philipines and train them in the arduous tasks of self-government.

A crystallization of Wilson's political thought is seen in his notes for a new course on constitutional government and for his projected magnum opus, "The Philosophy of Politics." Equally significant are the materials that illuminate Wilson's rise to first rank among American historians: his articles, "State Rights (1850-1860)" and "The Reconstruction of the Southern States," display his powers of generalization and interpretation and his command of clear and unaffected, yet evocative, historical prose.

During this period Wilson was also maturing as a leader among the faculty at Princeton -- this aspect of his life is seen in papers relating to a statement of standards for graduate work and in a search for a new Professor of Politics which, incidentally, led him into interesting correspondences with Theodore Roosevelt.

"When a Man Comes to Himself," Wilson's report of his address to the Philadelphian Society of Princeton, and other papers document a significant change in his religious beliefs during these years. Other, more personal documents included in the volume are a pocket record of Wilson's bicycle trip around the British Isles in the summer of 1899 and letters to his wife during two lengthy separations.

This volume opens with Wilson's tour of the Middle West and West to generate popular support for the League of Nations and to force the Senate to consent to the ratification of the Versailles Treaty without any significant reservations to the League Covenant. After the first speech of the tour, in Columbus, Ohio, Wilson travels to Missouri and Minnesota, the Northwest, California, and into the central Rocky Mountain states. His already dangerous hypertension escalates due to his punishing schedule, and he suffers increasingly from headaches, difficulties in breathing, and periods of cardiac arrest. After a stroke warning on September 26, his doctor cancels the remaining speeches, and the presidential special train returns to Washington.

Wilson does suffer a stroke on October 2 and nearly dies from a urinary obstruction two weeks later. As he lies ill during October and early November, Tumulty and members of the cabinet carry on the domestic business of the country and deal with a nationwide coal strike. But Wilson will not permit Lansing to take any action on important foreign policy matters. The nation's state of affairs is parlous as the volume ends.

This massive collection includes all important letters, speeches, interviews, press conferences, and public papers on Woodrow Wilson. The volumes make available as never before the materials essential to understanding Wilson's personality, his intellectual, religious, and political development, and his careers as educator, writer, orator, and statesman. The Papers not only reveal the private and public man, but also the era in which he lived, making the series additionally valuable to scholars in various fields of history between the 1870's and the 1920's.

As this volume opens, the Supreme War Council holds a long session that results in an agreement on the military, naval, and aerial terms to be imposed on Germany. The harmony of this meeting is in stark contrast to the discord of the four heads of government recorded in the balance of the volume. In the weeks covered by these documents, controversy erupts over the disposition of the Rhineland and demands by France to annex the Saar Basin. The fight over reparations reaches a crescendo and is far from resolved as the volume ends.

Wilson, Lloyd George, Clemenceau, and Orlando agree to meet secretly, away from the distractions of the Council of Ten, but they are at another impasse by early April. Meanwhile Wilson reconvenes the Commission on the League of Nations in order to obtain amendments to the Covenant necessary for Senate approval of a treaty that includes the Covenant. The statesmen in Paris struggle with a host of difficulties, including the takeover of the Hungarian government by the communist Bela Kun, and Wilson is faced with problems in achieving de facto recognition of the Soviet regime. In addition, he must deal with domestic controversy between the Industrial Board and the Director General of Railroads.