Edith Wilson

First Lady Edith Wilson, born Edith Bolling on October 15, 1872, was the second wife of the 28th President, Woodrow Wilson. They met in March of 1915 when she was 43 and he 59, and the President proposed in May. They were married by December 1915 and would remain married until he died in 1924.

In October of 1919, President Wilson suffered a stroke that left half his body paralyzed. In a typical instance, the Vice President, Thomas Marshall, would take over as acting President. However, Edith and Wilson's private secretary Joseph Tumulty did not think Marshall was up for the task. They then decided that Edith would effectively become acting President of the United States. Thus, from October 1919 to the end of President Wilson's term on March 4, 1921, it was Edith Wilson who was essentially the President.

Together, the two lied about the extent of the President's stroke and made sure the public did not know how severe it had been. After the stroke, Edith would choose what little information reached the President and would communicate any decisions he made. She claimed to have never made a decision herself, though it is impossible to tell if this is true or not.

Three years after they left office, Woodrow passed away. However, Edith remained to be a public persona in the D.C. area, popping up at various political events here and there. She passed away at age 89, on December 28, 1961.