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Woodrow Wilson: A Biography

3.76 of 5 stars 3.76 · rating details · 447 ratings · 54 reviews

The first major biography of America’s twenty-eighth president in nearly two decades, from one of America’s foremost Woodrow Wilson scholars.

A Democrat who reclaimed the White House after sixteen years of Republican administrations, Wilson was a transformative president—he helped create the regulatory bodies and legislation that prefigured FDR’s New Deal and would prove ce...more The first major biography of America’s twenty-eighth president in nearly two decades, from one of America’s foremost Woodrow Wilson scholars.

A Democrat who reclaimed the White House after sixteen years of Republican administrations, Wilson was a transformative president—he helped create the regulatory bodies and legislation that prefigured FDR’s New Deal and would prove central to governance through the early twenty-first century, including the Federal Reserve system and the Clayton Antitrust Act; he guided the nation through World War I; and, although his advocacy in favor of joining the League of Nations proved unsuccessful, he nonetheless established a new way of thinking about international relations that would carry America into the United Nations era. Yet Wilson also steadfastly resisted progress for civil rights, while his attorney general launched an aggressive attack on civil liberties.

Even as he reminds us of the foundational scope of Wilson’s domestic policy achievements, John Milton Cooper, Jr., reshapes our understanding of the man himself: his Wilson is warm and gracious—not at all the dour puritan of popular imagination. As the president of Princeton, his encounters with the often rancorous battles of academe prepared him for state and national politics. Just two years after he was elected governor of New Jersey, Wilson, now a leader in the progressive movement, won the Democratic presidential nomination and went on to defeat Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft in one of the twentieth century’s most memorable presidential elections. Ever the professor, Wilson relied on the strength of his intellectual convictions and the power of reason to win over the American people.

John Milton Cooper, Jr., gives us a vigorous, lasting record of Wilson’s life and achievements. This is a long overdue, revelatory portrait of one of our most important presidents—particularly resonant now, as another president seeks to change the way government relates to the people and regulates the economy.(less)

Paperback, 736 pages

Published April 5th 2011 by Vintage (first published November 3rd 2009)

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Sep 19, 2012 Marks54 rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a really fine biography, although I am not sure how much I like Wilson after reading it. I started reading this when I heard some fairly extreme pundits starting to trash Wilson. I realized that while I did not wish to agree with the pundit, I was not as informed about Wilson as I thought I was. I had read the most about his diplomacy, especially his role in the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 and the his failures around the League of Nations. I was much less aware of his background, his...more

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Jul 19, 2012 Foreignpolicysifter rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

“Wilsonian” is a word that gets thrown around a lot in foreign policy circles, and we are as guilty as anybody. The term—usually derogatory—warns against anyone stumping for policies (especially foreign intervention) based on idealistic notions such as self-determination or human rights. Woodrow Wilson has become something of a cliché: the stuffy, pie-in-the-sky academic-president who thought he could solve all of the world’s problems through high-flown rhetoric and goodwill. Of course few peopl...more “Wilsonian” is a word that gets thrown around a lot in foreign policy circles, and we are as guilty as anybody. The term—usually derogatory—warns against anyone stumping for policies (especially foreign intervention) based on idealistic notions such as self-determination or human rights. Woodrow Wilson has become something of a cliché: the stuffy, pie-in-the-sky academic-president who thought he could solve all of the world’s problems through high-flown rhetoric and goodwill. Of course few people know what was actually going on in America at the time surrounding World War I, and similarly few people know much about Wilson, including ardent students of international politics. As with everything, when one digs deeper, the truth is, to infuriate ideologues of all stripes, more complicated.

James Milton Cooper, professor emeritus of history at the University of Wisconsin, has written a few books on Wilson1 and the time period, and now he has penned the book on America’s 28th president. And though he clearly admires Wilson, that admiration doesn’t spill over into the all-out adoration practiced by some of Theodore Roosevelt’s biographers. Cooper takes measure of the man and his policies and often finds him lacking.

Wilson’s tale is, at its heart, all about tragedy. Time and again, at Princeton, as governor of New Jersey, and as president, Wilson seems on the cusp of resounding success, only to descend into deadlock, failure, and self-pity. Clearly, Wilson was a strong starter and a practitioner of boldness. He wrote his sole major academic work, Congressional Government, when he was only 28. At each administrative/executive stop along the way, Wilson pushed through major reforms within a year or two of ascending to the top of the ladder, thereafter to be stymied by enemies often opposed to his brand of progressive reform. As president of Princeton, he lost a battle to make the newly founded graduate school the heart of the university and as Governor of New Jersey he fought the Democratic Tamany Hall-style of politics to a standstill. The first year of Wilson’s presidency stands as possibly the most successful legislative record of all time, and one which signified the modern era in the new world: restrictions on child labor, creation of the Federal Reserve, the Federal Trade Commission, the income tax, and the eight-hour workday, and the first federal aid to farmers. Yet his early success was tarnished by the way his presidency ended.

Wilson is a hard man to get a feel for, even when Cooper is doing his best. Part of that certainly lies in the fact that Wilson had very few close friends and really only one or two close male friends throughout his whole life. Although we do find out that Wilson wasn’t the dry, stuffy man people usually think (he actually did have a pretty good sense of humor), Cooper is unable to convince the reader that there wasn’t some sort of aloofness or insecurity about him, a distance from others that, in large part, would be his undoing.

Many “great men” of history are also men of contradiction. After all, they are only men, as Wilson reminds us. Contrary to the present-day assumption that he was a crusading idealist (a mantle much more apt for Mr. Roosevelt), we find out that Wilson was an admirer of the great conservative Edmund Burke and his concept of “expediency.” Yet while Wilson trumpeted gradualism on some issues like women’s suffrage, he was more often partial to the bold move and grand gesture. And though, he ushered in a startling number of reforms, he had no empathy for or interest in the plight of African Americans. He had great nostalgia for the South of his childhood, but lived most of his life in the North. In his painted portraits, Wilson was able to project the stoicism of a man in control of his passionate impulses, but in his private life his emotions frequently got the best of him. After the death his first wife Ellen, in his first term, the president understandably sunk into the bowels of depression, only to ascend to the heights of romance as he fell in love at first sight. According to Cooper, Wilson virtually abandoned the presidency while mourning Ellen’s death and then courting the widowed Edith Bolling Galt.

Much has been made of Wilson’s “irony of fate,” that a politician so learned in domestic politics instead would be forced to confront international affairs as no president had before.2 Here, too, had Wilson heeded Burke, he may have been able wield his considerable intellectual powers toward a lasting and realistic peace. It’s not as if he was blind to the magnitude of the challenges facing the world in the years ahead. As Cooper notes, Wilson repeatedly predicted a devastating conflict arising out of the first world war, unless the structure of international politics could be changed drastically. But instead, in his quest to upend a system governed by the balance of power, he was forced to accept the very types of ugly bargains (harsh punitive terms for the Germans, ceding parts of China to the Japanese) in order to get the world powers to agree to his League of Nations. In another irony, these compromises would be a large part of his undoing as he tried to sell the treaty to Congress.

Cooper convincingly argues that Wilson’s health is what ultimately sunk the treaty, however. The wrangling over the Treaty of Versailles in Europe had left him exhausted, irritable, and on the brink. As he toured the country doing what he could do best (eloquently educating the populace), Wilson suffered a stroke that would leave him bedridden for months. Worse, it completely destroyed his ability to control his emotions. Having never surrounded himself with able men who could challenge him and whose opinions he respected, Wilson became a shut-in and hardened himself against the outside world. He alternated between delusions of grandeur and self-pitying depression. And he ultimately killed American participation in the League of Nations by refusing any compromise.

It is to Cooper’s great credit that he is able to genuinely move the reader as he describes Wilson’s embittered last years. A man who had scaled the greatest heights in academia and politics should have ridden into the sunset graciously. The most eloquent president of the 20th century (he was the last to truly write his own speeches) should have penned a memoir to cement his legacy, or campaigned forcefully for his League of Nations. But it was not to be. Poor eyesight and a crippled left hand made typing difficult, and the stroke had affected his ability to analyze the political landscape clearly. Instead, Wilson spent his last years dreaming of running for president again, with those close to him unable to confront him with the truth that his time had long passed.3

Probably because he’s written so extensively about many of these issues elsewhere, Cooper keeps his lense squarely on Wilson. There are few lengthy descriptions of the other players or dissections of the conditions of the time period (unlike, for example, Robert Massie’s epic Catherine the Great). Neither does Cooper engage in the sort of “historiatrics” of Roosevelt and Reagan biographer Edmund Morris, whose rich renderings can strain to the brink of hyperbole. That could have left Woodrow Wilson boring and stale, but thankfully Cooper has a gift for clear and readable prose, and the laser-like focus on his subject keeps the reader chugging along. Do not fear instrusive documentation or overwhelmingly footnoted work. The quotations and analysis are incisive while still allowing Wilson’s much-ballyhooed eloquence to shine through.

Casually throwing out the quasi-insult of “Wilsonian” becomes a bit more complicated after delving into the life of the professor—and possibly a reason to revisit the origins of “neoconservatism” and “realism” to see how the modern interpretation differs from the original. While Cooper remains quite sober 4, his book enters that rare category of engaging, well-researched, and relevant history. It’s an achievement that likely won’t be surpassed.

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Mar 03, 2011 Steven Peterson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A very nice biography of Woodrow Wilson. He began his adult career as an academic, became President of Princeton University, was elected governor of New Jersey, and--finally--he was elected President of the United States. He was not just an ordinary academic either, but the author of journal articles and books that were--for the time--well reputed. A political scientist who became elected to political office. . . .

The book follows him through his life course. It portrays his strengths and his we...more

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Feb 08, 2010 Bookmarks Magazine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mar-apr-2010

It is hard to doubt that Cooper's book is now the definitive biography of Wilson: professors from Harvard, Brown, and Yale gave it this accolade in their reviews. These and other critics tended to praise Cooper for disentangling Wilson from the contemporary use and abuse of his legacy; as Cooper puts it, the 28th president "was no Wilsonian, just Woodrow Wilson." Reviewers were also impressed by Cooper's chapters on the ample domestic agenda of a president normally remembered for foreign affairs...more

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Dec 14, 2009 Eric marked it as to-read · review of another edition

The NYTimes review made Cooper sound like a professional Wilson booster-apologist, member of one of those scholarly cheering sections, perennially urging reevaluation, which every one of our presidents seems to boast. My taste in presidents, aside from the pivotal empire-builders and empire-savers like Lincoln and FDR, runs more to the con-men (JFK) and the crazies (Nixon) who've noir-ishly helmed the state; I'm also getting interested in the great failures, so I think I'm due for a Wilson biogr...more

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May 14, 2011 Cyndi rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical

At times a bit boring but a very comprehensive view of the academic who would become president. Very socialist and progressive his ideas didn't seem to always have connection to real people though surprisingly he could connect to them. Seems to be very self-confident and assured of his ideas even when those around him are not so sure but that made him the leader. A bit scary at the end of his life when he was medically not competent to continue as president but his wife and those close to him ma...more

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May 10, 2011 Mel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: us-presidents, ww-i

The first 120 pages of this biography were so boring that after several unexpected naps, I very nearly gave it up. I don't know whether to blame the author or the subject. Reading about Wilson's writings about political theory and his concerns about where student housing should be located at Princeton University is pretty dull stuff to follow after reading the Edmund Morris trilogy about Theodore Roosevelt shooting moose, elephants, tapirs, and Spaniards. Once we get to Wilson's New Jersey Gover...more

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Apr 16, 2010 Michael rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Embarrassingly here are the new things I learned from this 600 page book that I’ll likely retain five years hence:

• The ex-president used to go by his birth name of Tommy Wilson.
• He was a big baseball fan. Obviously before the Houston Astros ruined the sport for many of us.
• He almost took his first academic post at the University of Arkansas before they rescinded the offer! (way to go Hogs…or Cardinals or whatever you were called in those days)

If anyone’s still with me, the most important aspe...more

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Feb 18, 2013 Bobscopatz rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Cooper has done an amazing job of capturing the life of Woodrow Wilson. He ends with an apt assessment of how Wilson remains controversial today with echoes of his legacy still affecting the world scene. I became interested in reading about Wilson after finishing Edmund Morris' three-part history of Theodore Roosevelt and reading TR's views of his former admirer and now political opponent. I searched Google using the terms "Woodrow Wilson" and "Best Biography" and was steered directly to this 20...more Cooper has done an amazing job of capturing the life of Woodrow Wilson. He ends with an apt assessment of how Wilson remains controversial today with echoes of his legacy still affecting the world scene. I became interested in reading about Wilson after finishing Edmund Morris' three-part history of Theodore Roosevelt and reading TR's views of his former admirer and now political opponent. I searched Google using the terms "Woodrow Wilson" and "Best Biography" and was steered directly to this 2009 publication. All of the comments mentioned how thorough and unbiased the Morris' treatment is. And I agree. It's probably the best presidential biography I've read in that it is clearly designed to present the facts as facts and opinions, while minimized, are clearly supported by what is known (and knowable).

One note of caution: I warn would-be readers of this volume that it is neither a quick nor an easy read. It doesn't work well as bed-time reading in my estimation. There's just too much requiring attention to the details. And Cooper does a great job of relating events from Wilson's earlier careers to his behavior as governor and President--you really have to stay connected to the narrative all the way through.

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Dec 11, 2009 Tony rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: presidents, top-10-2009

Woodrow Wilson: A Biography, a wonderful work of scholarship, is aptly subtitled. Cooper focuses on Wilson's entire life and seems determined to get that story just right. Thus, the author picks no fights in this cautious tale. Mostly, I found that refreshing. Cooper is clearly a fan of Wilson's, but no apologist. Thus, he doesn't minimize Wilson's racial attitudes and fairly places the blame for the WWI Treaty's American failure at Wilson's doorstep.

Cooper is much taken with Wilson's oratorical...more

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Sep 30, 2011 Jack rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography, history, nonfiction, politics, presidents

Good book. Wilson had a lot of flaws: racist (who wasn't back then?), self-righteous. But he busted his ass and seemed to have, for the most part, a decent moral compass (aside from racism and anti-civil libertarian positions). I liked very much how much he appreciated the need to have ALL Americans involved in the First World War. The idea that only a small number of people would be inconvenienced by the war effort was not his way. His League of Nations was a failure, and that was largely his f...more

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Apr 22, 2011 Jerome rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An interesting read for history folks. Apparently very well investigated and put forth in an easy to read manor.
This book confirmed my opinion that Woodrow Wilson was one of the five worst presidents this country ever had. His wishy-washy, head in the clouds, anglo saxon mindset and very poor cabinet selections led this country into what was called the first world war. A war that was none of our business and because of our intervention upset the balance of power in Europe which led to the secon...more

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Jul 30, 2012 Carl rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This has all the virtues (and shortcomings) of a scholarly biography of a president. It gets tedious at times -- I don't really care that much about the thinking behind Wilson's cabinet appointments -- but Cooper is obliged to tell it all, and he does.

Final sections on Wilson's stroke and its aftermath were all new to me. Wilson was debilitated for 18 months . . . the vice president did not take over . . . Wilson's second wife served as gatekeeper showing him only the most urgent business.

Garfi...more

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Mar 26, 2012 Amanda M. added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, history

The other day when I sat down to dinner, my friend Jon asked, “How’s the boyfriend?” To a casual listener this would seem like a completely normal way to begin a conversation; to those at the table more familiar with my weird proclivity for naming historical figures in games of “marry, boff, kill,” it would’ve been obvious that he was actually referring to America’s 28th president, Woodrow Wilson. Over the course of the semester, I’ve devoted more time reading this biography than I have to most...more The other day when I sat down to dinner, my friend Jon asked, “How’s the boyfriend?” To a casual listener this would seem like a completely normal way to begin a conversation; to those at the table more familiar with my weird proclivity for naming historical figures in games of “marry, boff, kill,” it would’ve been obvious that he was actually referring to America’s 28th president, Woodrow Wilson. Over the course of the semester, I’ve devoted more time reading this biography than I have to most hobbies [tennis, 2001: three weeks; crochet, 1998: 25 minutes] and college relationships [information not available] so now that it has come to an end, I feel sort of…bittersweet? In memoriam, here is my ode to one of the nation’s most fiercely and unabashedly intellectual presidents, who lived through the rise of a powerful progressive reform moment and a major World War, but nevertheless had a personality about as exciting as untoasted Wonder Bread.

In Woodrow Wilson: A Biography, Cooper traces Wilson’s rise from his early days in academia as president of Princeton to his entrance into political life with the governorship of New Jersey and later the presidency, when he defeated two former Republican presidents in the hotly-contested three-way race for the White House in 1912. Uncommonly intellectual, Wilson was both a famously private figure and a celebrated public speaker, a respected political scientist (the only president to hold a PhD!) and a Nobel Peace laureate. He also had the reputation of being pretty, for lack of a better word, milquetoast. Cooper, much to my amusement, tries to push back a little against this by reaffirming Wilson’s virility as early as the introduction, an accomplishment counted as equal alongside his impressive treatises on government and wartime leadership. This continues later when Cooper writes, in discussing Wilson’s relationship with a young widow: “Others, viewing Wilson harshly, have maintained that such a supposedly unattractive prig was incapable of having a sexual fling” which might actually be the single best line in a biography that has ever existed and will ever exist.

My immature fascination with Cooper’s frank discussion of the completely commonplace sexual behavior of a middle-aged man may suggest to you that I am not doing this book justice. You would be correct. Meticulously researched and written, Cooper’s account is remarkably thorough and sympathetic to his subject. Naturally there is a lot of ground to cover, but I think one of the passages where Cooper is at his best is in discussing perhaps the most infamous aspect of Wilson’s legacy: the idealistic formulation—and then stunning failure—of the League of Nations. Noting that Wilson’s campaign in support of the League coincided with a massive stroke that left him essentially incapacitated for months, Cooper argues that the stroke severely impaired Wilson’s judgement and leadership capabilities and bluntly criticizes the president for remaining in office during this time. In doing so, he takes the stigma of inevitability out of the League’s failure—instead of seeming like unrealistic pipe-dream of a naive idealist, the League of Nations is instead presented as a workable approach to peace that many Americans supported and very well could have been passed. In Cooper’s biography, the failure of the League of Nations hinges on minute decisions—a failure to compromise with Republican leadership here, a misguided directive to Democratic senators there—which were all within Wilson’s control (and pre-illness Wilson likely would have been able to master.) Could the League of Nations have succeeded? Cooper argues that it could have had Wilson been healthy enough to face the debate with the same ardor and spirit of compromise he brought to challenges faced as President of Princeton, Governor of New Jersey, and in his early terms as President. And who knows how history would have unfolded had America joined?

Wilson is not exactly the most colorful figure, though he has a sparkle of humor in him now and then (when one visitor to his study at Princeton asked “Do you read all these books, Professor?” he reportedly responded “not every day.”) Nevertheless, Wilson presided over an extraordinary period in American history, and the book provides fascinating insight into the anguish of an executive reluctantly waging war, the creation of a powerful Democratic coalition, the triumph of Wilson’s progressive legislative agenda, his change of heart and later impassioned support of women’s suffrage, and his apathy and fatal inaction on questions of racial equality, the consequences of which still reverberate today. Examining the era through his (charmingly bespectacled) eyes is a more than worthwhile exercise. Besides, not all of our presidents could joyride around on safaris and get shot at. That’s what Teddy Roosevelt is for.

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May 03, 2013 Aaron Meyer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography, history, politics

A very well written book. The only complaint I had was the dragging at the end of the book during the league of nations fight through his death. Wilson was an incredible man who achieved many things in his life, even though I disagree with many of his policies I will admit that, though the things he will go down in history in a negative light for are as follows: The Federal Reserve, which today is what is keeping our government beast alive today with its insane monetary policies. The income tax,...more A very well written book. The only complaint I had was the dragging at the end of the book during the league of nations fight through his death. Wilson was an incredible man who achieved many things in his life, even though I disagree with many of his policies I will admit that, though the things he will go down in history in a negative light for are as follows: The Federal Reserve, which today is what is keeping our government beast alive today with its insane monetary policies. The income tax, which rapes all people (unless of course you get more in return than you put in). Before the WWI most federal money was taken in through tariffs but that changed with the war and he never tried to roll it back. The league of nations and the end of the war with Germany, was a huge debacle. Even though the league failed the idea lived on and became the United Nations much later and therefore his ideas have created the monstrosity of foreign policy of today. His idea of America securing the peace around the world has translated into us spending our blood and treasure in every backwater on the globe. The phrase and idea behind "making the world safe for democracy" comes directly from him. Last and not least his making us somewhat dependent on the rest of the world. By making us into the number one creditor nation in the world during the war he bound our hands. Instead of eliminating the taxes and once again raising tariffs we were essentially forced into keeping things as they were because, as he said, the countries who owe us money cannot sell their items here with the tariffs high and therefore will not be able to pay us back. I dont think I would say this was possibly the beginning of our consumer society but I think this help lead us to it.
Before one thinks I only see the negative I suppose I should point out the good I seen in him. I applaud the work he did in updating the college system and helping to shape its greatness today, although it has become an unweildy beast and needs another great innovator to come along. The eight hour work day was a great achievement as well even though I dont remember what those were like anymore because I work far more lol.
This book is one though that needs to be on your shelf of biographies. Though a long read it will give you many instances to reflect on our current problems.(less)

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Mar 20, 2011 Jean rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wilson was a scholarly, reflective man. My admiration for him grew as I learned about his relentless efforts to keep the U.S. out of WWI, to win over the public when war became unavoidable and to establish a League of Nations. Cooper covers Wilson’s public and political life comprehensively, but he doesn’t round out the portrait by providing much detail about his personal life. I was surprised to learn how much time Wilson spent with his wife, even during the war. They frequently played golf in...more

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Sep 04, 2012 Amatullah Richard rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Very good biography of Wilson from birth to death. The author is fairly objective and not afraid to write about Wilson's mistakes as well as triumphs. The author also gives different points of view and comments when a particular quote was probably clouded by time and sentimentality. A bit slow, yet enlightening especially in regards to Wilson's role in the League of Nations, the opposition to the League in America, and how the whole drama unfolded and eventually resolved itself. Wilson certainly...more

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Nov 17, 2012 Daniel Farabaugh rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a very comprehensive biography of the President and the author made an excellent case for both the significance and success. He did a good job showing how the style of Wilson was central to his success. The place where this fell down is in the failings of Wilson. The author bends over backwards to make excuses for his actions and beliefs or give him too much credit for other people's actions. Specifically Iam referring to women's suffrage, civil rights, and civil liberties during the wa...more

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May 08, 2013 Eddy Allen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arts-and-historical

A Democrat who reclaimed the White House after sixteen years of Republican administrations, Wilson was a transformative president—he helped create the regulatory bodies and legislation that prefigured FDR’s New Deal and would prove central to governance through the early twenty-first century, including the Federal Reserve system and the Clayton Antitrust Act; he guided the nation through World War I; and, although his advocacy in favor of joining the League of Nations proved unsuccessful, he non...more

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Aug 04, 2012 Chip Supanich rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I guess I knew a few things about Wilson before reading this, like his ideas about a League of Nations and his (eventual) support of women's suffrage. Much of what I believed had been mythologized or degraded over the years and had warped my memories perhaps. I forgot, or didn't know that he authorized and installed a central banking system, was the first president to reach out to the Labor vote (which began a long standing association between organized labor and the Democratic Party), lowered t...more

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May 03, 2012 Lorenz rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An excellent biography of Woodrow Wilson, this book is well-researched and easily understood. It provides an outstanding narration of the people, the places and the events that shaped Woodrow Wilson's personality and decisions. I would have wanted the author, however, to have put more depth in his narration and analysis of Woodrow Wilson as the war president and as the Versailles Treaty negotiator. Nevertheless, I highly recommend this book to everyone interested in 28th President of the U.S.

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Jul 27, 2012 Marc94 rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was quite long- it took me two weeks to read. Nonetheless I learned so much about Wilson. I went into this biography just knowing that he was the president during WWI and that he fought for a League of Nations and came up with his Fourteen Points. There was so much more to this man than that. At times though, it got to be a little too detailed and some parts were rather dry. There were a few times where I thought I was going to give up reading this, but I made it through and I'm glad I...more

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Apr 19, 2012 Anthony rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography

I vowed to not read big tomes this year like last year (Under the Dome) this was one I started before the year was over and didn’t finish until this year. Good biography but it is a biography. Not the most engaging read but it was interesting. I learned much about the WWI president and former Princeton President. If you just want a basic biography there is probably a shorter one out there but if you want some depth this one is good.

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Feb 28, 2012 Virginia Albanese rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Detail,detail detail. Principaled President who went down in defeat and illness trying to get Congress to vote for joining the League of Nations. Predicted without it there would be another World War much worse then the first. Most educated president we have had and certainly believed in peace, not wanting, but able to avoid involvement in WW I.

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Jan 22, 2010 Melinda Ross rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

599 pages done! I can't say I read every word, but up until the last nine pages, I had read at least a line from every paragraph. I am grateful to be done with this book. I read it for a book group and though I admit I got engrossed at times with some of the details--it had too many details and it ruined to flow of the story. Unlike others that I discussed the book with, I actually lost some of the respect I had for Woodrow Wilson as a president by the end. I may be being to hard on him, and par...more

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May 11, 2011 Matt Mishkoff rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The author is obviously a fan of Wilson, but he's not afraid to criticize the man either, which makes this book a fairly balanced account. The writing style can be quite dry, but the subject could be as well, so perhaps that's fitting. That aside, the book is very informative, and a good resource if you're looking for a single-volume history of one of our more accomplished presidents.

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Aug 22, 2010 Katy Cooper rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography

This was a good book, but I found myself losing interest as WWI was winding down. Maybe I'd been reading it for too long, but my curiosity about Wilson died. Or maybe it was just satisfied.

At any rate, my sense of Wilson as a humorless pedant is shot all to pieces. He was a far more interesting man, more progressive and more intelligent than I'd thought.

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Jul 08, 2010 Doug rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: history

This is an accessible and balanced view of Wilson's life and his performance as the US president. I would recommend it to anyone interested in Woodrow Wilson, US presidential biographies, WWI and early 20th century events of the world.

I learned that the world has changed little in a century. In the US, government and corporations are still too tightly allied. War is never good although sometimes necessary. However, avoiding it is in the best interest of everyone.

Wilson was way ahead of his time...more

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Apr 30, 2010 Donny rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: presidential-bios

Well written and very interesting look into the life of Woodrow Wilson. However, I thought the book dragged on at times, especially when describing the debate over the ratification of The Treaty of Versailles. I also feel, unlike other presidential biographies, Wilson did not really explore Wilson the man, but more Wilson the student, academic, and politician. What sort of emotions went into his decisions and ideas? I supposed I am being unfair and comparing Cooper's writing to that of McCulloug...more

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Apr 28, 2012 Joseph rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

everything and more than you need to know about Wilson. New found respect for him as far as Presidents go. Very underrated President. Nice book>

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The History Book ...: * 9. WOODROW WILSON: A BIOGRAPHY~ CHAPTER 16 (333 -361) ~ MAY 20th - MAY 26th, No Spoilers, Please	13	13	4 hours, 13 min ago
The History Book ...: * 8. WOODROW WILSON: A BIOGRAPHY~ CHAPTER 14 AND CHAPTER 15 (285 - 333) ~ MAY 13th - MAY 19th, No Spoilers, Please	41	26	5 hours, 41 min ago
The History Book ...: * WOODROW WILSON: A BIOGRAPHY - GLOSSARY (SPOILER THREAD)	198	47	9 hours, 55 min ago
The History Book ...: 10. WOODROW WILSON: A BIOGRAPHY~ CHAPTER 17 (362 -389) ~ MAY 27th - June 2nd, No Spoilers, Please	1	5	10 hours, 31 min ago
The History Book ...: * 7. WOODROW WILSON: A BIOGRAPHY~ CHAPTER 12 AND CHAPTER 13 (237 - 284) ~ MAY 6th - MAY 12th, No Spoilers, Please	63	32	May 17, 2013 06:00am
The History Book ...: * WOODROW WILSON: A BIOGRAPHY - BIBLIOGRAPHY (SPOILER THREAD)	30	37	May 14, 2013 08:21am
The History Book ...: * TOC AND SYLLABUS - WOODROW WILSON: A BIOGRAPHY- SPOILER THREAD	28	60	May 13, 2013 06:33am

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