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Edith Bolling Galt Wilson

Updated Jun 26, 2025
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Edith Bolling Galt Wilson
Edith Bolling Galt Wilson was the second wife of President Woodrow Wilson and First Lady of the United States. Some referred to her as "the first woman to run the government" for the role she played when her husband suffered prolonged and disabling illness after a stroke in October 1919.

She was born Edith Bolling (seen here at age 15) and married a jeweler, Norman Galt, in 1896. In 1908, her first husband died. She married President Woodrow Wilson (he was President when they met) in 1915.

Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.
Date & Place: in Virginia USA
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Do you know who this is? Later in life, 15 yr old Edith Bolling married President Woodrow Wilson and when he had a disabling stroke on Oct 2, 1919, she effectively took over the reins of government. Some historians call her "the first woman to run the government"!
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10/02/2020
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10/02/2020
A Lovely Lady.
Photo of Doris Krueger Buchmann Doris Krueger Buchmann
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10/02/2020
Read about it in school.
Photo of Amy Gary Amy Gary
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10/03/2020
Doris Krueger Buchmann You had those cool teachers to??
Photo of Judy Gragg Chavez Judy Gragg Chavez
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10/02/2020
Secretly
Photo of Amy Gary Amy Gary
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10/03/2020
Judy Gragg Chavez People don't get that part.
Photo of Judy Gragg Chavez Judy Gragg Chavez
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10/03/2020
Amy Gary I read that she strictly kept people away from her husband, and hid the severity of his incapacitating stroke. Wilson was considered by scholars to be one of the better presidents.
Photo of Amy Gary Amy Gary
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10/03/2020
BECAUSE OF HER..
Photo of Judy Gragg Chavez Judy Gragg Chavez
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10/03/2020
Amy Gary you are speaking of his first wife. She was quite an asset. The second wife is the one who hid his illness.
Photo of Amy Gary Amy Gary
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10/03/2020
Judy Gragg Chavez To help run the country.
Photo of Amy Gary Amy Gary
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10/03/2020
WHAT THIS WHOLE ARTICLE PRAISES HER FOR...
Photo of Judy Gragg Chavez Judy Gragg Chavez
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10/03/2020
Amy Gary WW married his first wife when he was 29. They were together 29 years. She was an acclaimed portrait artist. She learned German to assist her husband in his work. She was the influential wife. He married the second wife in 1915, had the stroke in 1919, and left office in 1921. The populace learned about the severity of his illness in 1920.
So, the scholars don't consider him one of the best presidents BECAUSE OF HER.
Photo of Rebecca Lennon Rebecca Lennon
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10/02/2020
She must have been smart!
Photo of Amy Gary Amy Gary
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10/03/2020
Rebecca Lennon Any female can do that job. We just haven't gotten it yet.
Photo of Rebecca Lennon Rebecca Lennon
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10/03/2020
Amy Gary are you serious? I can think of many women who couldn’t do the job.
Melania for one.
Photo of Kayleen Cobiskey Kayleen Cobiskey
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10/03/2020
She was very pretty, must have been very intelligent
Photo of Amy Gary Amy Gary
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10/03/2020
And was the best part of his Presidency.
Photo of Helen Shalders Helen Shalders
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10/03/2020
Your top story is a nonsense and that detracts from the main article.
Photo of Noël Briggs Noël Briggs
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10/03/2020
Those⬇️are the most relevant. 😂
Photo of Tyler Tabula Rasa Rasmussen Tyler Tabula Rasa Rasmussen
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10/02/2020
I thought the same thing! 🤷🏻‍♂️
Photo of Sharon Hutchison-koitzsch Sharon Hutchison-koitzsch
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10/02/2020
Karen Gaffney She's 15 in the picture not when she married him.
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10/03/2020
Karen Gaffney she is 15 in the picture
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10/03/2020
Karen Gaffney uggh...read again, carefully. 🥴
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10/03/2020
Well reading is fundamental.
Photo of Karen Gaffney Karen Gaffney
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10/03/2020
Julie M Wilson-Smith It’s a wonder I can tie my shoes. “Thanks” for the condescension.
Photo of Karen Gaffney Karen Gaffney
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10/03/2020
Amy Gary Well, you know, I’m just a stupid little woman. It’s a wonder I graduated from college. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 🙄
Photo of Amy Gary Amy Gary
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10/04/2020
Karen Gaffney I'm not that ignorant to put you in that category. But, Punctuation in a sentence is key in reading. And I'm happy you went to college. HOORAY FOR YOU.
Photo of Karen Gaffney Karen Gaffney
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10/04/2020
Amy Gary, you are certainly consistent! What a lovely human...a joy at gatherings, I’m sure. 😌
Photo of Amy Gary Amy Gary
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10/04/2020
Karen Gaffney I am actually. Mostly dead Thanks. But, if you want to go personal attacks and be TROLL on just a remark we can lower ourselves.
Photo of Karen Gaffney Karen Gaffney
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10/04/2020
Amy Gary oh, please! I made a light hearted joke and you started in. Troll indeed!!
Photo of Amy Gary Amy Gary
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10/04/2020
Karen Gaffney I figured you would say that. So, making a comment on a Historical Woman of excellence is Ok?? Sure KAREN TROLL.
Photo of Amy Gary Amy Gary
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10/04/2020
Karen Gaffney Listen if you want to act like a victim good. But, your poor me B/s is nullified when you lash out you prove how uneducated you are. Keep going and prove your Trollness.
Photo of Amy Gary Amy Gary
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10/04/2020
Karen Gaffney ok Karen Troll then. Geez. Least I didn't have to go on personal attacks and self centered defense to prove myself unworthy of just being who I am A Troll.🤣🤣🤣🤣 Go Away.
Photo of Karen Gaffney Karen Gaffney
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10/04/2020
Amy Gary LOL! Someone is triggered! 😅 You claim reading comprehension yet show an obvious lack of context comprehension. I wasn’t commenting about the “historical woman of excellence”, but on the sentence wording. 🙄 You ask if that’s “ok”? Who needs your approval, lady? Who are you? There’s no “poor me” here. You, on the other hand, need to condescend and virtue-signal in order to lift yourself up. How sad is that? You’re the only person who’s come onto my comment and continues to attack, over nothing. Go get some help, really.
Photo of Amy Gary Amy Gary
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10/04/2020
Karen Gaffney 6 hours later? K
Photo of Karen Gaffney Karen Gaffney
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10/04/2020
Amy Gary it was the middle of the night, I was sleeping...I’m supposed to stay up all night to answer you? 😂😂 Entitled much?
Photo of Amy Gary Amy Gary
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10/04/2020
Karen Gaffney You know all your finger pointing just points back at you? Two grown women. Looking like A****. But, you talk of entitlement 🤣🤣. Sad to think if this is how you act about being called out about spelling. 🤣🤣Blessed Be your sad life. I done with your flutten Trollish bull.
Photo of Karen Gaffney Karen Gaffney
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10/04/2020
Amy Gary spelling? No, grammar. Again you’re confused. Oh Amy, Amy, Amy...you were being condescending and unkind to a stranger. That is how this played out.

My life isn’t sad in the least. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I’ll give you a few minutes to read this and then I’m blocking you because you are really boring. 👋🏻
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Edith (Bolling) Wilson
Edith Lady (Bolling) Wilson was born on October 15, 1872 at Wythville, VA, and died at age 89 years old on December 28, 1961 at Washington, DC.
Age in photo:
15
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