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| President Woodrow Wilson |
How long did he remain in the White House after his strokes? His first stroke was not that long after taking office. His last stroke, the one that put him out of commission, took place in 1919. He was kept in the Oval Office, even though he was incapacitated for over a year. Yes, all the way up until the end of his presidency in 1921.
Historians note that Wilson had a history of cerebrovascular disorders before entering the White House.
In fact, unknown to the public at the time, Wilson was a professor at Princeton when he suffered his first stroke in 1896. Wilson's first stroke created lasting medical problems, which included ongoing numbness in his fingers, a great deal of weakness and loss of dexterity in his right hand, and off-and-on pain down his right arm. That was 16 years before entering the White House.
When Wilson had his strokes while president, he was still relatively functional for a while. Of course, because of his problems with his right hand from his previous stroke, and then his left arm, Wilson was limited as far as writing was concerned.
In 1910, Wilson was elected Governor of New Jersey. Then in 1912, Wilson was elected President of the United States. The president's physician was Dr. Cary Grayson. He was recommended for the position by President William Taft since Grayson served as a part of Taft's White House medical staff.
Researchers report that Woodrow Wilson had his first stroke in 1896, another stroke in 1902, again in 1906, again in 1913, in 1915, and two in 1919. In fact, Wilson was only in office less than a year before he had his first stroke while in office. Woodrow Wilson's first wife Ellen reportedly took charge of his care. She reportedly consulted with several experts at the time.
In August of 1914, Ellen Wilson died of Bright's Disease, which is a kidney ailment. While President Wilson is said to have become depressed and despondent over his first wife's death, I find it interesting that just five months later, he remarried his second wife Edith. Some say she was his mistress before Ellen died.
During the summer of 1915, Wilson became ill and was found to have the "warning signs of an impending stroke." Most believe that he had a stroke at that time. Some say Wilson was in a state of denial, while others say he was covering up his condition.
Then right after World War I, Wilson was on a public speaking tour when he collapsed. That was at 10pm on September 25, 1919. He had earlier that night given a speech pushing for the creation of the League of Nations in Pueblo, Colorado. We know that his staff rushed him to Washington D.C. the next day. The day they were traveling back to Washington, his private secretary Joseph Tumulty put out a statement cancelling the remainder of the President's speaking tour because the President was "suffering from a nervous reaction in his digestive organs."
As the president's train sped back to Washington, all aboard knew that Presiden Wilson had suffered another stroke. While he could still walk and was even seen tipping his hat while making his way through Washington's Union Station, it was at this point that Wilson's true condition was covered-up.
Now enters America's First Woman President and the Great Cover-Up of 1919
According to the White House website on First Families, "Edith Bolling Galt Wilson was the second wife of the 28th President, Woodrow Wilson. She served as First Lady from 1915 to 1921. After the President suffered a severe stroke, she pre-screened all matters of state, functionally running the Executive branch of government for the remainder of Wilson's second term."
So how did that take place? Well, with the help of the President's private physician, Dr. Grayson, who by then was elevated to the post of Surgeon General, First Lady Edith Wilson took control of the White House. That was the case from September 28th when they returned to Washington after that speaking engagement in Colorado. Then, on the morning of October 2nd, 1919, Edith woke to find her husband, the President, unconscious.
During the night, President Woodrow Wilson suffered a massive stroke that left him blind in his left eye and his left side completely paralyzed. After being examined by Dr. Grayson, the doctor is said to have emerged from the president's bedroom with a horrible diagnosis. An extremely shocked Grayson reported, "My God, the president is paralyzed."
The First Lady and Dr. Grayson actually briefed the entire Cabinet and the president's political advisors together. During their discussion, it is said that the question of succession came up. Some say Edith had instructed Grayson not to sign an official notice of what took place. According to that story, when asked later to sign an official notice of disability, Grayson refused to sign anything that would effectively end the Wilson administration.
So, while there is disagreement about whose idea it was to withhold that information from the public, some say it was the First Lady, and others say it was Dr. Grayson and the president's senior political advisors, we do know that both they and the rest of the Wilson Cabinet worked in concert to deceive the American public regarding the extent of the President's actual medical incapacitation.
As for President Wilson, he finished his term in office through the actions of a cabal of actors all united with the intent of deceiving the public. Edith Wilson published her memoirs in 1939, and she called her actions after her husband became completely incapacitated "her stewardship." In her memoir, she stated emphatically that her husband's doctors, senior political advisors, and his entire Cabinet supported the cover-up. She supposedly just went along with the deception.
In 1921, both the President and First Lady left the White House and retired to a comfortable home in Washington. President Woodrow Wilson died there three years later. His second wife Edith died in 1961.
When asked my opinion about this by readers who want to know if this could ever happen again? My answer is simply this, probably. But really, I think it all depends on the amount of cooperation that the culprits get from the news media and inside the administration. I really believe that that's the only way such a cover-up would be perpetrated today.
That's just how I see it.
Tom Correa
As the president's train sped back to Washington, all aboard knew that Presiden Wilson had suffered another stroke. While he could still walk and was even seen tipping his hat while making his way through Washington's Union Station, it was at this point that Wilson's true condition was covered-up.
Now enters America's First Woman President and the Great Cover-Up of 1919
According to the White House website on First Families, "Edith Bolling Galt Wilson was the second wife of the 28th President, Woodrow Wilson. She served as First Lady from 1915 to 1921. After the President suffered a severe stroke, she pre-screened all matters of state, functionally running the Executive branch of government for the remainder of Wilson's second term."
So how did that take place? Well, with the help of the President's private physician, Dr. Grayson, who by then was elevated to the post of Surgeon General, First Lady Edith Wilson took control of the White House. That was the case from September 28th when they returned to Washington after that speaking engagement in Colorado. Then, on the morning of October 2nd, 1919, Edith woke to find her husband, the President, unconscious.
During the night, President Woodrow Wilson suffered a massive stroke that left him blind in his left eye and his left side completely paralyzed. After being examined by Dr. Grayson, the doctor is said to have emerged from the president's bedroom with a horrible diagnosis. An extremely shocked Grayson reported, "My God, the president is paralyzed."
The First Lady and Dr. Grayson actually briefed the entire Cabinet and the president's political advisors together. During their discussion, it is said that the question of succession came up. Some say Edith had instructed Grayson not to sign an official notice of what took place. According to that story, when asked later to sign an official notice of disability, Grayson refused to sign anything that would effectively end the Wilson administration.
So, while there is disagreement about whose idea it was to withhold that information from the public, some say it was the First Lady, and others say it was Dr. Grayson and the president's senior political advisors, we do know that both they and the rest of the Wilson Cabinet worked in concert to deceive the American public regarding the extent of the President's actual medical incapacitation.
As for President Wilson, he finished his term in office through the actions of a cabal of actors all united with the intent of deceiving the public. Edith Wilson published her memoirs in 1939, and she called her actions after her husband became completely incapacitated "her stewardship." In her memoir, she stated emphatically that her husband's doctors, senior political advisors, and his entire Cabinet supported the cover-up. She supposedly just went along with the deception.
In 1921, both the President and First Lady left the White House and retired to a comfortable home in Washington. President Woodrow Wilson died there three years later. His second wife Edith died in 1961.
When asked my opinion about this by readers who want to know if this could ever happen again? My answer is simply this, probably. But really, I think it all depends on the amount of cooperation that the culprits get from the news media and inside the administration. I really believe that that's the only way such a cover-up would be perpetrated today.
That's just how I see it.
Tom Correa
I just love how Dr. Grayson's reaction was like, "My God, the president is paralyzed!" That's like going into a bakery and saying, "Great Scott, they have gingerbread!" It's hilarious. The gingerbread reaction, not the paralysis.
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