The Wilson Secret Engagement
Ellen Axson, the first Mrs. Woodrow Wilson, had died only eight months before her grieving husband met Edith Bolling Galt, an attractive widow, fifteen years his junior. The President had adored his wife of thirty years, and was understandably devastated and depressed by her loss. Within days after meeting Mrs. Galt however, his mood had lifted dramatically. He plied her with invitations to luncheons and dinners and carriage rides, all properly chaperoned. Edith was overwhelmed by the attention and realized early on that she was being wooed. Woodrow Wilson was a very ardent wooer. He telephoned her daily. He sent flowers. He wrote passionate letters. He was also a stubborn man, determined to get what he wanted. He wanted Edith, and persisted.
Edith demurred. She had been a widow for several years, but she had never been wooed before. Her courtship by her first husband was pleasant, but hardly romantic. She had also never had been in love before. She was fond of Norman Galt, but the marriage was more one of friendship than romance. Edith was no match for the President of the United States. Besides, she was falling in love with him.
The Politics of Remarriage
Even though it was more than a decade after the old Queen died, 1915 was still part of the Victorian Age. Both Woodrow and Edith had grown to maturity at a time when custom demanded long mourning periods. President Wilson did not care about mourning traditions. He was in love and marriage was the only option. He proposed. She finally consented – but they would not make it public.
A private citizen can do whatever he likes when it comes to love and marriage, but the President of the United States is another entity. War had already broken out in Europe and was causing repercussions around the globe. Political stability at home was essential. Another election was due in 1916, and Wilson was a shoo-in for re-nomination, if not re-election. The rather dour schoolmaster had become surprisingly popular.
The political pundits said Wilson’s remarriage would cause a huge scandal! He would be flying in the face of convention. The public-at-large would never condone such an action. It would be political suicide, they said. Silly as it seems today, in 1915 these matters were very important. Even though their engagement was a secret, several of Wilson’s close political associates sniffed a scandal-in-situ and even concocted a plot to get Mrs. Galt to break their “understanding.” She did not, to Wilson’s great relief.
Edith Galt was a savvy woman. Even though she had no background in politics and had never socialized in governmental circles, she intuitively understood that the morals of a society directly affect the ballots. Even though women did not have the vote, they did have subtle influence on their husbands’ votes. If the voters were outraged at the President’s disregard of social custom, he would never be re-elected. She offered to wait until the end of his second term.
Woodrow Wilson had no intention of waiting. He wanted Edith more than he wanted to be President.
Woodrow and Edith Make the Announcement
About a year after the first Mrs. Wilson’s death, and about four months after he had met Edith, Wilson let it be known that he planned to remarry.
His three grown daughters had met Mrs. Galt, and they liked her well enough. If it made their father happy, they would be happy for him. Edith’s family was understandably thrilled to have the President as an in-law. Surprisingly enough, the country was not the least bit scandalized. They too, were happy for Wilson. President Grover Cleveland’s marriage to a girl barely out of her teens had been thirty years earlier – well within memory of many Americans – and the country had been delighted! It was only the politicians who smelled potential trouble. They believed Mrs. Galt had entirely too much influence with the President, and he, according to some of them, was besotted by her. For her part, she was becoming wary and suspicious of the politicians who she believed were trying to come between her and her beloved. Time would prove them both right.
Nevertheless, Woodrow and Edith went everywhere together. She was attractive and stylishly dressed. Her big cartwheel hats were becoming to the statuesque woman, and her ubiquitous orchid corsage became her trademark. The President became a snappier dresser himself. They went to baseball games and theatre performances. They were seen together on a daily carriage ride. Their pictures were taken and printed in the newspapers. She was photogenic and enjoyed the publicity. Wherever the President went, she went. Since they were not yet married, she could not take the First Lady position at official functions, but since he insisted that she be nearby, the White House staff was charged with making suitable arrangements.
Woodrow Wilson and Edith Galt Marry
The President was becoming increasingly impatient. He had no intention of waiting until the next election – a whole year away. He was only fifty-seven, and being in love made him feel a whole lot younger. Besides, they were both mature adults who knew their own minds. There was no need to wait other than politics, and he didn’t care.
With minimal fanfare, President Woodrow Wilson married Edith Bolling Galt in her Washington town house on December 15, 1915. It was only fifteen months after Ellen Wilson’s death. There were barely fifty family members and close friends in attendance. No political associates were invited.
But the President was now a happy man! The morning after their wedding, an aide who was accompanying them on their honeymoon train reported seeing Woodrow Wilson dancing a little jig, and whistling “Oh You Beautiful Doll.”
Sources:
- Hatch, Alden - Edith Bolling Wilson: First Lady Extraordinary, 1961, Dodd, Mead
- Levin, Phyllis Lee – Edith and Woodrow – 2001, Lisa Drew Book
- Schachtman, Tom – Edith and Woodrow - 1981, GP Putnam’s Sons
- Wilson, Edith Bolling – My Memoir - 1939, Bobbs Merrill
Feather Schwartz Foster - Feather Schwartz Foster, author-historian. Making the First Ladies come to life.
