Woodrow Wilson: A Biography

During the last days of his presidency,one famous journalist,Ray Stannard Baker, has visited Woodrow Wilson,who was recovering from a strong stroke.Baker was shocked and wrote:"A broken,ruined old man,shuffling along his left arm inert,the fingers drawn up like a claw,the left side of his face sagging frightfully.His voice is not human;it gurgles in his throat,sounds like that of an automaton.And yet his mind seems as alert as ever."Sic transit gloria Wilson.He was indeed a very controversial president and his actions are still felt today.Suffice it to mention the Versailles Treaty which in itself caused a lot of post-war problems and is regarded as a conclave which has brought only further divisions and hardships among the many nations that were scrutinized and debated then.Wilson was a Democrat who ascended to the White House after many years of Republican administrations,and he wanted to be remembered as a president who had worked in order to change not only his country but also the world order.It was Wilson who guided his nation through WW1 and Professor Cooper is extremely adroit in demonstrating how many efforts Wilson has made in order to avoid America's entrance into this horrible war.Volens nolens,in the end he had no choice and the barbaric submarine war conducted by the Germans pin addition to the Zimmermann telegram were the last straws which were used by the president to convene the Congress in order to declare war against Germany and its Allies.The isolationist days of America were over and now Wilson went out on a crusade to make the world safe for democracy.Another controversial aspect discussed at length in this fascinating study is the way the subject of the League of Nations was advocated by Wilson but proved to be unsuccessful.In spite of this, Wilson managed to change the way people and policy makers would think about international relations that would carry America into the United Nations era.On the one hand Wilson appears to be detached and cool, while on the other hand he is deeply a passionate man in his private life and Professor Cooper is superb when describing the president's private affairs, his two wives(Ellen and Edith),his lover(Peck), his children and in-laws.Quotes from the president's letters are supplied throughout the study.Yet Wilson also vehemntly resisted progress for civil rights,while his attorney general launched an aggressive attack on civil liberties.Race relations were totally ignored.Wilson was prepared to fight his enemies and adversaries with all the means he got from his days as president at Princeton.He was the msot intellectual president the USA has had and one of his books is still regarded a milestone for those who study politics and constitutional law.It was Wilson who took care to nominate the first Jewish judge ,Louis D. brandeis,to the Supreme Court,in the era when anti-semitism played a significant role in the USA.Despite coming from a religious home,Wilson did not go to war in 1917 because he thought God was telling him to do so.As the president put it:"War is not declared in the name of God:it is a human affair entirely".Unlike Theodore Roosevelt,his greatest rival,he never compared politics to religion and preaching and had never supported the greatest moral reform crusade of their time-Prohibition.He despised Fundamentalist manifestations.The best part of the book is the second one where Wilson is busy in his efforts to establish peace in Europe.The negotiations had worn him out physically and emotionally and the decisions he made in the process of peace-making have stirred almost as much argument as his decision to enter the war.His famous Fourteen Points have caused a lot of controversies not only in Europe but also at home and this further drew fire from his opponents.His stroke which made him an invalide also led America to undergo the worst presidential crisis in American history.As Professor Cooper points out, many saw or regarded Wilson as an Amerian Icarus,who perished because he flew too close to the sun.Boldness and thinking big marked the president all his life,and this charaterized him during his days at Princeton and as the governor of New Jersey.This volume is very rich in details and is a very comprehensive combination of scholarship and narrative and shows an extraordinary but also deeply flawed president and leader who started hsi career as a dynamic reformer and ended it shortsighted and delusional.

I enjoyed this in depth account of President Wilson. I found the text enjoyable to read and well written. I felt like there was sufficient criticism of the man, his policies, and his lifestyle to keep this from being a "rah rah" Wilson book.I wish there was more insight into the causes of World War I rather than simply acknowledging it started and American policy of isolationism. I think this would have given the reader a bit more context as to the struggles Wilson was experiencing with his perspective. There was very little here about the war itself, strategies employed, and major battles as well.Also, I grew a little weary of being reminded of the times that Wilson broke the Sabbath while President. This may have been against his religious practices but being a war time president requires working long hours, and I didn't find that particularly persuasive or moving. Comes with the job.Ultimately, Wilson is possibly viewed as a failure due to the League of Nations, and his poor health at the conclusion of his presidency. This is probably harsh and unfair, and this bio gives the reader insight into the bigger picture.

John Milton Cooper's biography of Woodrow Wilson is fantastic. I read history and biography only as a hobby; I have no formal training. I found Cooper's book a superb and compelling story of a president I knew little about. The prose flows smoothly yet has plenty of rich description and foreshadowing to keep the story moving along. It reminded me greatly of David McCullough's "Truman," another outstanding biography. Adjectives usually applied to commercial fiction - gripping, fast-paced - could easily apply to this rich tome.As for the story of Wilson's time: What an amazing yet tragic life he lead. Wilson oversaw so much that makes up America today: Women's suffrage, income taxes, the Fed. And he brought us though the First World War, and a peace conference that remade the map of the world including today's Middle East. Yet his life was ultimately defined by his failure at the end of his presidency to ratify the Treaty of Versailles and bring America into the League of Nations. For a man who accomplished so much, it was heartbreaking to read of his meltdown at the end.And finally, the story of Wilson's stroke is extraordinary. Before this biography, I knew Wilson had suffered a stroke. But I knew nothing of the severe physical and mental limitations during the last year and a half of his presidency; as well as the great efforts of his wife and doctor to hide his disability. That portion of the novel was fascinating to read.In sum, an outstanding story. I only wish Cooper was a more prolific writer. I would gladly read many more of his books.

A superb 600 page biography of the president, from his youth through his last day. Roughly the first half deals with Wilson's youth, his teaching experience, the presidency of Princeton, and his time as Governor of New Jersey. The rest focuses on his White House years, in particular World War I and the League of Nations fight. The author has written several books on Wilson and undoubtably knows him better than anyone else. It is an interesting and lively account of a very great, but flawed, man who had a vision to reshape the world into a brighter future. It was also an age when Washington politics were still played by polite rules. On both counts the contrast to today's world is statling. But Wilson and those of his time laid the groundwork for what we now live in, and for that reason are worth studying in depth. (Full disclosure: The author is a personal friend of the reviewer.)

This is impressive. It is very thorough and detailed and it brings to character of Wilson alive. You can feel the presidency through these pages. It is very well balanced and judged. Highly recommended.

A very worthy effort that brings to life this 20th Century giant, a genius in thought and deed, and whose ideas resonate today. One really feels as if a compassionate and yet objective portrait has been drawn by a master biographer. Spanning one of the greatest changes in U.S. history, Wilson's life is both fascinating and inspiring. I enjoyed it very much and I am a person who thought he knew his politics--but I didn't when it came to Thomas Woodrow Wilson.

Covering an important time in the history not just of the U.S. but of the world, this is abook not to be missed.

This is a great book for anyone who is looking for a thorough synopsis of the life and career of the twenty-eight president of the United States, Woodrow Wilson and American politics of this period.The book describes Woodrow Wilson’s early days as a child possibly delayed by dyslexia and he’s subsequent academic career that climaxed when he became President of Princeton University and continues to describe in great detail Woodrow’s start in the world of politics and his ascension to Governor of New Jersey and subsequently to President of the United States as a progressive democrat. This book also covers in great detail the role Woodrow Wilson played during WWI in particular his fight to shape and promote the League of Nations.This is the 8th book written by John M. Cooper covering this period of American and World history and the 4th focusing on Woodrow Wilson. The book is adequately detailed and provides a good starting point for further learning about this period.I am happy to recommend this book to anyone who, like me, has limited knowledge about this period and the life of one of the most influential politicians of the 20th century.

wonderful book to read