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Long before he became one of the most influential presidents in American history, Woodrow Wilson made his mark as a scholar.
Wilson had impressive academic credentials: an undergraduate degree from Princeton, a law degree from the University of Virginia and a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins. He returned to Princeton where he quickly ascended to the school's presidency.
Wilson's political career advanced just as quickly. In 1910, he successfully ran for governor of New Jersey and just two years later he was nominated as the Democratic Party candidate for president. With Republican William Howard Taft and Progressive Party candidate Theodore Roosevelt splitting the vote, Wilson easily defeated both men. Wilson helped to create the Federal Trade Commission and was behind the passage of the Federal Reserve Act. Wilson was also the driving force behind key child labor laws and laws limiting the hours demanded of railroad workers.
Wilson was re-elected in 1916 on a platform of keeping America out of the European conflict, but it was a promise he could not keep. In April of 1917, the United States declared war on Germany and it was the contributions of American troops that turned the tide of World War I. The biggest regret of Wilson's political career was his failure to get the Congress to ratify the Versailles Treaty, which would have assured America's presence in the League of Nations.
Wilson won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in bringing the world together after the war.
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