The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1912-07-05
WOODROW WILSON
LIFE CHARACTER
Democratic Candidate First Entered
Politics When He Gave Up Univer-
sity Presidency to Become New Jer-
sey's Governor.


Wilson was born at Staunton, Va, on
December 2S, 1856. He is the son of
Dr. Joseph R. Wilson, Presbyterian
minister, and the grandson of Judge
James Wilson, an Irishman of Scotch
descent who migrated from County
Down to Philadelphia in 1907. James
Wilson plospered and became man
ager of the Aurora, leading demo-
cratic journal Philadelphia then be-
ing the rational capital
II was at Steubenyille, Ohio, that
Joseph Ruggles Wilson, the father of
Woodrow Wilson, was born on Feb
ruary %, 1922. He was the scholar
of James Wilson's family Jefferson
college graduated him as yaledictorian
in 1874, after which he taught school
and prepared for the Presbyterian min
istry at the Western Theological SEM
mary and Princeton seminary In 1S49
Joseph r. Wilson married Janet Wood
row, daughter of DR.. Thomas Wood
row, a famous Presbyterian minister
of the day, who was a descendant from
ancient English stock The Rev. Mr..
Wilson became the father of two
daughters before he was called as pas
tor to Staunton, Va, where a third
child, son, was born and chistened
Thomas Woodrow.
When Thomas Woodrow was years
old his father took pastorate in Au-
gusta, Ca, and soon became one of the
most noted ministers of the south.
AS a Schoolboy.
Tommy Wilson, the Augusta school
S~oy, is described by Professor John #.
( Derby, one of his teachers as quiet
and exceptionally studious. The most
important instructor of young Wilson,
however, was his father. man Of wide
information on the affa-fs Of the world,
His father believed that nobody had
grasped thought until he could put
it quickly and definitely into words.
This he did himself, and this he taught
his soon to do. As a result Tommy
came to learn that in the written SYM
bols in which speech is set down he
was learning only a method Of record
ing ard transmitting a language which
he was already well able to handle.
The Wilson's moved from Augusta to
Columbia, S. G., in 1870, Dr. Wilson re-
signing his pastorate to take the chair
Of pastoral and evangelistic theology in
the Southern Presbyterian Theological
seminary. At Columbia Tommy att
tended Charles Parnwells private
school. AT the age Of IL he entered
Davidson college at Davidson, N. G.
He did not finish the year at David
son, for he fell i'll before examinations
came on and was taken to his home,
now at Wilmington, n. c., where his
father had taken a pastorate. Here
Wilson took things comparatively easy
for year Except for tutoring in
Greek and few other studies that he
thought might be necessary for en-
trance to Princeton, he busted himself
with reading, looking up the historical
points of the city and with the social
life of the city.
1t was an urbane and amply self
confident young man who left Will
mington one day in September, 1875,
to enter Princeton college, About this
time he dropped his Christian name,
Thomas, and became known as Wood
row Wilson.
Woodrow Wilson attained promi-
aence among his mates in the famous
class Of 10" No less than forty-two
Of the i22 graduates of 70 were
honor men, having an average of 80
per cent or better for the four years
course. Wilson baresy got in among
them; he ranked fortyhrst Besides
being good student at Princeton vii