Presidents in Retirement: Woodrow Wilson
Towards the end of his Presidency, Woodrow Wilson suffered a severe stroke in October 1919 that left him incapacitated. His wife and his physician and his chief of staff all worked in concert to try to hide the true state of his condition from the outside world. Wilson should have resigned the presidency, or at least turned over the reins to his Vice-President Thomas Marshall, but power is hard to let go of, and so it was for Wilson.
Despite his medical incapacity, Wilson still harbored illusions (delusions) of running for a third term in office. The 1920 Democratic National Convention strongly endorsed many of Wilson's policies, but Democratic leaders knew that Wilson could not possibly run for a third term, and if nominated, their defeat was inevitable.
Instead the party nominated instead a ticket consisting of Governor James M. Cox of Ohio and Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt from New York. The Republicans centered their campaign around opposition to Wilson's policies, especially his dabbling in foreign affairs. The Republican candidate, Senator Warren G. Harding of Ohio, promising a "return to normalcy." Wilson largely stayed out of the campaign, although he endorsed Cox. Wilson also continued to advocate for U.S. membership in the League of Nations, an unpopular policy nationwide. Harding won the election in a landslide, capturing over 60% of the popular vote and winning every state outside of the south. Wilson met with Harding for tea on his last day in office, March 3, 1921, but because of his poor health, Wilson was unable to attend Harding's inauguration.
On December 10, 1920, Wilson was awarded the 1919 Nobel Peace Prize "for his role as founder of the League of Nations". Wilson became the second sitting US President to win the honor, Theodore Roosevelt being the first.
After the end of his second term in 1921, Wilson and his wife Edith left the White House. Their move was a short one, to a townhouse in the Kalorama section of Washington, D.C. Wilson remained interested in politics, and he was severely disappointed when President Harding and the Republican Congress repudiated membership in the League of Nations, even though this was expected. He also was critical of the Republicans cutting taxes, and raising tariffs.
In 1921, Wilson opened a law practice with his former Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby. But his health was too poor for him to do any legal work. Wilson showed up to the firm on the first day it opened, but he never returned. The practice was closed by the end of 1922.
Wilson tried his hand at writing. The former professor produced a few short essays but they took enormous effort. As one biographer of Wilson's commented, they "marked a sad finish to a formerly great literary career." Wilson opted not to write his memoirs, but frequently met with journalist Ray Stannard Baker, and Baker wrote a three-volume biography of Wilson that was published in 1922.
In August 1923, Wilson attended the funeral of his successor, Warren Harding. No one had expected that Wilson would outlive his successor. But Wilson would not live much longer. On November 10, 1923, Wilson made his last national address, delivering a short radio speech commemorating Armistice Day. He gave the address from the library of his home.
Wilson's health did not improve after he left office. His health rapidly declined rapidly in January 1924. He died on February 3, 1924, at the age of 67. Wilson was interred in Washington National Cathedral. He is the only president whose final resting place lies within the nation's capital.