Edith Bolling Wilson: A President in a Skirt. The Story of the Woman Who Ruled America from 1915 to 1921 Cover Image

Edith Bolling Wilson – prezydent w spódnicy, czyli rzecz o kobiecie, która rządziła Ameryką w latach 1915–1921
Edith Bolling Wilson: A President in a Skirt. The Story of the Woman Who Ruled America from 1915 to 1921

Author(s): Halina Parafianowicz
Subject(s): Governance, Political history, Social history, Pre-WW I & WW I (1900 -1919), Interwar Period (1920 - 1939)
Published by: Instytut Historii im. Tadeusza Manteuffla Polskiej Akademii Nauk
Keywords: Edith Bolling Wilson; Woodrow Wilson; first lady; United States; presidency;

Summary/Abstract: Usually, American presidents’ wives enjoyed their compatriots’ affection. Some played signifi cant roles in their spouses’ administrations, although in a formal legal sense, they had no state responsibilities. The evolution of their roles and the increasing public activity of many of them, particularly in the 20th and 21st centuries, have resulted in lasting changes to the American presidency. In the diverse pantheon of American female presidents, President Woodrow Wilson’s second wife, Edith Bolling Wilson, holds a special place because of her unprecedented role in her husband’s administration. This article aims to provide an overview of her activities as First Lady (from December 1915 to March 1921), with a particular focus on her role and enormous infl uence on presidential decisions and American politics from the autumn of 1919, i.e., during Wilson’s illness.

  • Issue Year: 55/2023
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 71-92
  • Page Count: 22
  • Language: Polish