President Wilson Has a Stroke

In October 1919, President Woodrow Wilson suffered a devastating stroke that left him partially paralyzed and severely impaired. But the full extent of his condition was kept from Congress, the Cabinet—and the American public.

For the remaining seventeen months of his presidency, access to Wilson was tightly controlled by his wife, Edith Wilson, and his physician. Government documents passed through Edith's hands. Officials struggled to see the president. Major decisions were delayed or filtered while the country was left uncertain about who was actually running the executive branch.

Edith later insisted she never assumed presidential power, describing her role as a "stewardship." Critics have called her America's first female president.

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