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Higher Office(s) Served: President

Woodrow Wilson, the forty-third governor of New Jersey and the twenty-eighth president of the United States, was born in Staunton, Virginia on December 28, 1856. His education was attained at Princeton University, where he graduated in 1879, at the University of Virginia Law School, and then at Johns Hopkins University, where he earned a doctorate in political science and history. He became a professor, teaching at several colleges, one of which was his alma mater, where in 1902 he was named president of Princeton, a position he held eight years. Wilson first entered politics in 1910, winning his election to the New Jersey governorship on a progressive platform. During his tenure, school reform measures were implemented; a primary election law was sanctioned; and a corrupt practice bill was enacted, as well as a public utilities act. Wilson resigned from office on March 1, 1913, upon his election to the U.S. presidency, an office he held until 1921. After leaving the presidency, Wilson returned to his legal career. Governor Woodrow Wilson, who was the author of several political and historical books, passed away on February 3, 1924, and was buried in the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.

Sources:

Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 3, Westport, Conn.; Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vols.

AmericanPresident.org

The Presidents of the United States

The Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library