WOODROW WILSON (D) - 1913-1921
As a young man, Wilson didn't really care for the Constitution or the American style of government. He desired something more like a Parliamentary system. This is partially due to the way the government was run under Johnson, Grant and Hayes. By the time Grover Cleveland was president, Wilson had his faith restored.
The 28th President benefitted from the feud between Roosevelt and Taft, and he won the election with less than 42% of the popular vote. He used his first term to focus on domestic issues and passed the Federal Reserve Act, the Federal Trade Act, and thanks to the 16th Amendment, the first progressive income tax.
World War I is where he earned his high legacy. He won re-election on the theme that "he kept us out of war" but he knew he couldn't stay out for long. When Germany announced it would sink any aubmarine that came near the United Kingdom, and when a message was intercepted that said Germany was trying to instigate Mexico to attack the US from the South, Wilson entered the War, and it wasn't long thereafter that the Allies were able to defeat Germany.
I do have two big problems with Wilson. One of them is not his over-reaching with the League of Nations. He wanted to spread democracy worldwide, and did so in a fairly imperial manner. Looking at his times, I chalk it up as a noble goal.
No, my two big problems are 1) As far as I can tell, he was the last white supremacist to hold office. He allowed expansion of segregation and famously praised "Birth of a Nation," which glorified the Ku Klux Klan. 2) His decapacitating stroke left the country leadersless for the final year and a half of his second term. He should have resigned, or at least named his Vice-President as Acting President. (The 25th Amendment was the answer to this, should it happen again). He kept his health hidden from as many as possible, and his wife served as messenger for most of his requests. It weakened the office and left the door open for Harding to walk in.
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