Although numerous European countries have elected women to be the leader of their respective countries, the U.S. has never done so. Vice president Kamala Harris is running to break that glass ceiling. 

With polls showing the race against former President Donald Trump neck and neck, it could possibly happen. Yet many Americans don’t know that the country already effectively had a woman president. 

In 1919 Woodrow Wilson suffered a stroke that left him incapacitated until the end of his term in 1921. But at the urging of his personal doctor Cary Grayson, the public was never informed of the severity of his condition.

According to PBS, with Wilson bedridden and paralyzed, his second wife Edith Wilson began what it calls “a bedside government” run without input from the president’s staff, his Cabinet, or Congress.

24/7 Wall St. Insights:

• The U.S. has never elected a woman to the presidency, but that doesn’t mean women haven’t been the real centers in the government.
• Edith Wilson might be considered the first de facto woman president after Woodrow Wilson suffered a stroke and was incapacitated.
• His wife maintains she never made policy decisions, but simply controlled the flow of information to the president.

The orderly transfer of power

Prior to the passage of the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, which governs the transfer of power when the president dies or is unable to discharge his duties due to disability, Article II of the Constitution directed how power would be transferred in such situations.

But because Wilson was unwilling to resign, vice president Thomas Marshall would not assume the presidency. He demanded Congress first declare the office vacant, and since Edith and Dr. Grayson would not write a letter conforming to the Constitution’s mandate, nothing happened.

It led to Edith becoming the de facto first woman president, determining when and what would be presented to Wilson for consideration. She was dubbed “the Acting First Man.” 

Domestic and foreign concerns

There were several global and domestic events of note occurring at the time, including the creation of the League of Nations, the precursor to today’s United Nations. It was precisely that issue that Wilson was rallying support for when he suffered his stroke.

He had been touring the country giving public speeches in support of U.S. entry into the League. Wilson was said to be unrelenting, working late, not eating, and failing to exercise, factors that may have contributed to the stroke. His stroke, though, likely led to the defeat of the U.S. joining the League.

Another crisis during the “bedside government” period was the Depression of 1920 to 1921 brought on by the end of World War I and the transition to a peacetime economy. The depression, though, eventually led to an economic boom and the Roaring Twenties. 

There was also the First Red Scare where the government rounded up suspected socialists, anarchists, and communists in a bid to deport them. The so-called Palmer Raids were withheld from Wilson, though what Edith knew is unknown.

Who’s the boss

This was not dissimilar to what happened during FDR’s presidency some 20 years later. Stricken with polio and failing health towards the end of his presidency, his wife Eleanor represented him at public events and was involved in policy discussions. However, she was active like that throughout his presidency.

There are also some parallels to today. Concern over President Biden’s age and mental acuity had been growing, but a disastrous debate performance against Trump convinced Democratic Party leaders to act. According to reports, Biden was threatened with removal under the 25th Amendment if he did not leave from the race. Despite maintaining he was in to win, in July he announced he would not pursue a second term. He immediately endorsed Harris, who was installed as the candidate.

In Biden’s first Cabinet meeting in September after stepping aside, he made some brief introductory remarks before turning the meeting over to his wife, Jill Biden, though she made no substantive decisions.

Guiding, not leading

Edith Wilson also maintains she did not direct any policy during her stewardship. In her 1938 memoir she wrote, “So began my stewardship…I, myself, never made a single decision regarding the disposition of public affairs. The only decision that was mine was what was important and what was not, and the very important decision of when to present matters to my husband.”

Acting as the president’s gatekeeper is just as important because it determines what he signs into law. It also made Wilson’s wife effectively America’s first woman president.

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