---
product_id: 36838546
title: "Madam President: The Secret Presidency of Edith Wilson"
price: "A$76"
currency: AUD
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reviews_count: 10
url: https://www.desertcart.com.au/products/36838546-madam-president-the-secret-presidency-of-edith-wilson
store_origin: AU
region: Australia
---

# Madam President: The Secret Presidency of Edith Wilson

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Madam President: The Secret Presidency of Edith Wilson [Hazelgrove, William] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Madam President: The Secret Presidency of Edith Wilson

Review: An intelligent discussion of our first "woman" President. - In "Madam President: The Secret Presidency of Edith Wilson," penned by the adept author William Hazelgrove, an intricate exploration of the enigmatic figure of Edith Wilson, who assumed a quasi-presidential role, unfolds. Amidst an era marked by the scrutiny of established verities, Hazelgrove astutely delves into this contentious topic. Demonstrating intellectual acumen and a mastery of narrative flow, the author not only renders this work engaging for leisurely perusal but also endows it with the value of illuminating historical insights. This publication effectively amalgamates the allure of a captivating 'beach book' with the gravitas of an instrument for fostering historical clarity.
Review: It should be flatly stated that nothing like that should ever be allowed to happen again - Hazelgrove successfully argues that Edith Wilson was president in all but name from the time of Woodrow Wilson’s stroke until his term ended. The problem is with his interpretation of this event. It should be flatly stated that nothing like that should ever be allowed to happen again. Vice President Marshall should have been installed as acting President. It was and is unacceptable for the spouse of a president and his doctors to cover up a serious presidential disability and then attempt to run the executive branch with no legal authority to do so. Edith Wilson was not elected president or vice-president. She abused her authority. The issue here is not that we had the first woman president, though that is true. It’s the first time a spouse has taken over from a president. It is as if Denis Thatcher had taken over the reins government from Margaret Thatcher. Hazelgrove seems to mildly condone the course events that occurred during this period of time, with the exception of the Wilsons’ handling of the League of Nations, which incidentally, is one of the few times President Wilson asserted himself during his disability. In this case, Wilson’s obstruction cost him a League that may have been better than nothing. The principal reason Wilson’s wife and doctors protected him was that they hated Vice President Thomas Marshall. They didn’t want him to become president, even though he was quite capable of taking on the job. Furthermore, had Marshall stepped in, he would have accepted amendments to the League of Nations that would have allowed it to pass Congress. Indeed, one wrinkle in the history of this period is that many Republicans implicitly conspired with Edith and the administration of keep the president in power, so the League would be defeated. While they were on record as supporting the League with reservations, they actually wanted it killed outright. Keeping Marshall from the presidency would allow them to do this. Hazelgrove never discusses this side of the story. While Marshall didn’t want the presidency in the technical sense, he probably would have been glad to have the job. He just didn’t want to seize power without the proper constitutional support. He wanted to do everything the right way, and he felt that course wasn’t available at the time. In addition to these concerns, there are few jarring typos and factual mistakes. On pages 88-89, there is a discussion of Prince Albert, later King George VI, who visited Wilson earlier in his presidency. Prince Albert was never “prince of Wales.” That title belonged to his elder brother, Prince Edward who reigned briefly as Edward VIII. After Edward abdicated, Albert became king as George VI in 1936, not in 1939 as Hazelgrove incorrectly states on page 89. A strange mix-up of dates occurs in at least two other places in the book. On page 175, the date should be November 25, 1916 (not 1917). On page 178, January 31, 1916 is mentioned and then a few sentences February 1, 1917 is mentioned as occurring a few days later. Obviously the first 1916 should be 1917. Finally, there is the jump between different time periods in the book. I would have rather read a linear narrative of the events, although it was not a major fault of the book. This was an easy book to read. It was enjoyable and interesting. But in my opinion it was marred by the faults discussed above.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #783,622 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #1,932 in Women in History #2,735 in Political Leader Biographies #4,564 in United States Biographies |
| Customer Reviews | 4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars (186) |
| Dimensions  | 6 x 1.1 x 9 inches |
| Edition  | Illustrated |
| ISBN-10  | 162157475X |
| ISBN-13  | 978-1621574750 |
| Item Weight  | 1.24 pounds |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 352 pages |
| Publication date  | October 17, 2016 |
| Publisher  | Regnery History |

## Images

![Madam President: The Secret Presidency of Edith Wilson - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/719JAcRWc2L.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An intelligent discussion of our first "woman" President.
*by B***T on August 12, 2023*

In "Madam President: The Secret Presidency of Edith Wilson," penned by the adept author William Hazelgrove, an intricate exploration of the enigmatic figure of Edith Wilson, who assumed a quasi-presidential role, unfolds. Amidst an era marked by the scrutiny of established verities, Hazelgrove astutely delves into this contentious topic. Demonstrating intellectual acumen and a mastery of narrative flow, the author not only renders this work engaging for leisurely perusal but also endows it with the value of illuminating historical insights. This publication effectively amalgamates the allure of a captivating 'beach book' with the gravitas of an instrument for fostering historical clarity.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ It should be flatly stated that nothing like that should ever be allowed to happen again
*by B***N on December 15, 2016*

Hazelgrove successfully argues that Edith Wilson was president in all but name from the time of Woodrow Wilson’s stroke until his term ended. The problem is with his interpretation of this event. It should be flatly stated that nothing like that should ever be allowed to happen again. Vice President Marshall should have been installed as acting President. It was and is unacceptable for the spouse of a president and his doctors to cover up a serious presidential disability and then attempt to run the executive branch with no legal authority to do so. Edith Wilson was not elected president or vice-president. She abused her authority. The issue here is not that we had the first woman president, though that is true. It’s the first time a spouse has taken over from a president. It is as if Denis Thatcher had taken over the reins government from Margaret Thatcher. Hazelgrove seems to mildly condone the course events that occurred during this period of time, with the exception of the Wilsons’ handling of the League of Nations, which incidentally, is one of the few times President Wilson asserted himself during his disability. In this case, Wilson’s obstruction cost him a League that may have been better than nothing. The principal reason Wilson’s wife and doctors protected him was that they hated Vice President Thomas Marshall. They didn’t want him to become president, even though he was quite capable of taking on the job. Furthermore, had Marshall stepped in, he would have accepted amendments to the League of Nations that would have allowed it to pass Congress. Indeed, one wrinkle in the history of this period is that many Republicans implicitly conspired with Edith and the administration of keep the president in power, so the League would be defeated. While they were on record as supporting the League with reservations, they actually wanted it killed outright. Keeping Marshall from the presidency would allow them to do this. Hazelgrove never discusses this side of the story. While Marshall didn’t want the presidency in the technical sense, he probably would have been glad to have the job. He just didn’t want to seize power without the proper constitutional support. He wanted to do everything the right way, and he felt that course wasn’t available at the time. In addition to these concerns, there are few jarring typos and factual mistakes. On pages 88-89, there is a discussion of Prince Albert, later King George VI, who visited Wilson earlier in his presidency. Prince Albert was never “prince of Wales.” That title belonged to his elder brother, Prince Edward who reigned briefly as Edward VIII. After Edward abdicated, Albert became king as George VI in 1936, not in 1939 as Hazelgrove incorrectly states on page 89. A strange mix-up of dates occurs in at least two other places in the book. On page 175, the date should be November 25, 1916 (not 1917). On page 178, January 31, 1916 is mentioned and then a few sentences February 1, 1917 is mentioned as occurring a few days later. Obviously the first 1916 should be 1917. Finally, there is the jump between different time periods in the book. I would have rather read a linear narrative of the events, although it was not a major fault of the book. This was an easy book to read. It was enjoyable and interesting. But in my opinion it was marred by the faults discussed above.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ You Probably Did Not Study This In History
*by F***Y on June 20, 2023*

Very well researched and written story of one of the biggest cover ups and organized deceptions in the history of the U.S. For over a year Edith Wilson was able to hide her husband, the President of the United States, from his cabinet members and the public while his personal physician was complicit in the scheme. Interesting story and an unusual woman for her time.

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*Last updated: 2026-03-20*