In this Book
- The Wilson Circle: President Woodrow Wilson and His Advisers
- Book
- 2022
- Published by: Johns Hopkins University Press
summary
An in-depth look at the key advisers to Woodrow Wilson during the course of his tumultuous presidency.Nearly 100 years after Woodrow Wilson's death, historians continue to be divided over the impact of his presidency and his political leadership. The collapse of Wilson's health in 1919 and his failure to win Senate approval of the Versailles Treaty have tainted his legacy, as have the racism of his administration and its disregard for civil liberties after American entry into World War I. In The Wilson Circle, Charles E. Neu takes a new look at the Wilson presidency through the lens of his inner circle, a group of ten advisers. Some of these advisers, like his wife Ellen, were by his side at the start of his term, while others joined him as the challenges facing Wilson's presidency mounted. All of these advisers believed that, whatever Wilson's flaws as a leader, they had served a great man whose legacy would endure. Struck by his magnetism, his oratorical gifts, and the power and precision of his mind, they each became, to one extent or another, friends of the president. Looking back, they acknowledged that their relationship with Woodrow Wilson had transformed their lives.Challenging the publicly held assumption that Wilson was a remote, harsh president by exploring the intense emotional connection he developed with this tight-knit group, Neu argues that we can partially credit Wilson's remarkable journey in American politics to his ability to bring together such an impressive group of advisers. Wilson realized that, given his limited energy and experience, he had to rely on advisers to help him maintain his physical and emotional equilibrium and to achieve his far-reaching political goals. And as the demands on his presidency changed, changes also occurred in his group of presidential confidants. Informing vivid biographical sketches with a wide range of recent scholarship, The Wilson Circle shines a light on the exceptional people whose advice impacted the course of a presidency.
Table of Contents
Download Full Book
- Prologue: Helping the President
- pp. ix-xii
- Acknowledgments
- pp. xiii-xviii
- 1 Woodrow Wilson
- pp. 3-32
- 2 Ellen Axson Wilson
- pp. 33-44
- 3 Josephus Daniels
- pp. 45-62
- 4 William Gibbs McAdoo
- pp. 63-82
- 5 Joseph Patrick Tumulty
- pp. 83-102
- 6 Colonel Edward M. House
- pp. 103-136
- 7 Cary T. Grayson
- pp. 137-158
- 8 Newton D. Baker
- pp. 159-178
- 9 Edith Bolling Galt
- pp. 179-198
- 10 Bernard M. Baruch
- pp. 199-218
- 11 Ray Stannard Baker
- pp. 219-234
- Epilogue: Guardians of the Legacy
- pp. 235-238
- Suggestions for Further Reading
- pp. 261-266
Additional Information
ISBN
9781421442990
Related ISBN(s)
9781421442983
MARC Record
OCLC
1296943737
Pages
296
Launched on MUSE
2022-04-25
Language
English
Open Access
No