Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson served as the 28th President of the United States from 1913 to 1921, leading the country through its transition from neutrality to belligerence in World War I and shaping the subsequent peace settlement. His Fourteen Points speech of January 1918 articulated a vision of a liberal international order founded on self-determination, open diplomacy, freedom of the seas, and a League of Nations to resolve future disputes peacefully. Wilson led the American delegation at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, where he secured inclusion of the League of Nations Covenant in the Versailles Treaty but was forced to compromise on many of his idealistic principles under pressure from Clemenceau and Lloyd George. The United States Senate ultimately refused to ratify the Versailles Treaty, leaving the League without its intended anchor power. Wilson suffered a debilitating stroke in October 1919 while campaigning for ratification and spent his remaining years as a near-invalid.
- Lived: 1856 CE – 1924 CE
- Nationality: American
- Roles: president, statesman, idealist
