by Jean-Jacques COURTEY, Doctor in Economic Geography, Ph. D
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Edith Bolling Galt (1872 - 1961) married President Woodrow Wilson (1856 - 1924) in 1915. She was a direct descendant of Princess Pocahontas (c. 1596 - 1617), daughter of the King of Powhatans (Algonquin Redskins), Wahunsunacock. As some people know, Pocahontas fell in love with John Smith (1579-1580 - 1631), the handsome Captain of the British Expedition to the New World. And this love made possible the establishment of Jamestown in the newly called Virginia (1607) and the famous Virginia Company of London. The latter which merged with the Plymouth Company, under the simplified name of Virginia Company has officially been dissolved in 1624. Yet nowadays, some people think it's still existing in Bermuda (UK) !
With the Virginia company and after 1624, America was submitted to the rules of British Admiralty. Normally, this should have ceased after the Declaration of independence of America on July 4th, 1776. And it effectively ceased...till the Jay Treaty of November 19th,1794, when British Maritime Law was anew enforced. It was ratified by the Senate on June 24th, 1795. It's called the Jay Treaty, because it has been negotiated by the American diplomat John Jay (1745 - 1829) between the British Crown and the USA, to solve unresolved issues since the Treaty of 1783. It allows between other things the indigenous people of Canada to live and work freely in the USA. And nowadays, this interconnection with Canada is remaining as a background agreement of the past !
There was also at that time a terrible fear that the most extremist ideas of the French Revolution could spread in the nascent USA, like a plague. French Great Louisiana was extending from Bâton Rouge to the border of Canada : it was roughly as big as the USA of the time - concentrated on the Eastern side of the country as for them. George Washington (1732 - 1799) had a terribly bad opinion of the French Revolutionaries that he considered as "Apaches" : he wrote it to La Fayette (1757 - 1834), by reproaching his friend to have associated with such brigands, without faith nor law. Thus, to prevent Terror to succeed in America with the emergence of a dictatorship as it had happened in the Kingdom of France, the British Admiralty was given by the Jay Treaty the right to visit American ships in search of French revolutionaries of the Colonists' party. This treaty written by Alexander Hamilton (1757 - 1804) and supported by George Washington, was criticized by Jeffersonians. And it is at the origin of bipartisme in the USA, with the pro-British Federalist Hamiltonian Party (replaced by Democrats) opposed to the Jeffersonian Republican party, which was initially pro-French !
In October 1919, President Thomas Woodrow Wilson, a Democrat, was victim of a vascular cerebral accident. It left him paralyzed of the left side of his body (hemiplegia). So normally he was inapt to go on his duty of President. But this was hidden from the American public for long. And in agreement with his doctor and his cabinet, his wife became the woman- in-between to transmit the will of the President. Nowadays, a lot of people think that she had sometimes acted on her own, even she had always been very modest on her exact role. Everybody is admitting yet, that she was a caring and devoted wife to her ill husband, a model for America then. But it remains that till his retirement on March 4th, 1921, this descendant of Princess Pocahontas is the one who might have lead secretly the USA !
Woodrow Wilson had become President on March 4th, 1913. He is known for having created the famous Federal Reserve Bank in 1913, the income tax in the USA, the Federal Commission Act, and the Clayton Antitrust Act to defend the less favoured classes. He is also the one who put an end to the American isolationism which had lasted roughly one century, by entering the Ist World War in 1917. And he is too the one who suggested the creation of the League of Nations in 1918, even if his country didn't become a member at the end. Then, historically, his presidency had a pivotal role, including during his long illness !
Edith Bolling Galt had met for the first time Woodrow Wilson, when visiting one cousin of the president in the White House : Helen Woodrow Bones, on March 18th, 1915. He had been widower of Ellen Louise Axson (1860 - 1914) since 1914, and he fell in love with Edith at the first glance. At the beginning, she didn't accept his proposal of marriage in May 1915. As a matter of fact, Wilson as a Virginian equally was a Southerner. But he was able to demonstrate her he didn't despise Indians and their rights. And finally she accepted his proposal : they became engaged in September 1915, and married on December 18th,1915. Mrs Edith Wilson has been nicknamed by some historians "the secret President" for her role beside Woodrow Wilson at the head of the USA !
For many people, especially in Europe (and singularly in France), the Story of Pocahontas - "The Playful One" or "The Young Untamed One" - is just a very successful musical animated movie of Walt Disney productions. The first one is ending on the departure for London of Captain John Smith, badly injured by Governor Ratcliffe. As it was released under the title "Pocahontas, an Indian legend" (1995), a lot of parents have mainly taken it as a simple Christmas tale for children. And it is mostly the children who consider this quite charming and beautiful animated movie as a true story - what it is with some adaptations - , and the explanation of the Anglo-Saxon predominance in America in front of other European powers !
Similarly, when Edith Wilson accompanied her husband to Europe to visit troops in 1918, and to sign the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 after the end of the Ist World War, nobody made any connection with the travel of Pocahontas to Europe (England). And yet the story of "Pocahontas II : Journey to a new world" ( the second musical animated movie of Walt Disney productions about her, 1998) really happened too ! The difference is the film is just ending on the beginning of her return to America with the beloved Captain John Rolfe (c. 1585 - 1622). It doesn't talk of the boy she had from John Rolfe after her baptism and her marriage under the name of Rebecca Rolfe : Thomas Rolfe (1615 - 1675) and his later descendance through the settler John Bolling (1676 - 1729) !
It is important to notice that it was at the end of the presidency of Woodrow Wilson, the Executive power appeared particularly predominant on the Legislative power of the Congress. A remarkable shift of power happened then, with a total rebalancing. And since Woodrow Wilson (and his wife Edith, the descendant of the Indian Princess Pocahontas), things didn't change much !
At last, President Wilson (or his wife Edith ?) granted notably the unconditional right to vote to women in 1920, with the suppression of the unfair Poll Tax in all the states of the Union (XIX th amendment to the Constitution, of August 18th, 1920). And few people have noticed at that time, that his wife Edith Wilson was assuming the full charge of her ill husband and of his presidency, as a top and efficient first Lady !
Edith Wilson is remaining in the American history as a fine and amazing wife. Everybody agrees she was totally devoted to her husband, she loved sincerely. Opinions are only varying on her role beside him when he became ill : did she lead secretly the USA, or not so much ? Their tight-knit couple is still nowadays appearing touching and remarkably efficient, in front of adversity !
They both succeeded in the biggest challenge or aim of two people simply loving each other : becoming one till the end. And the idea Edith Wilson had of love was very similar to the one of Princess Pocahontas : by following the Powhatan philosophy, this Indian (Amerindian) Princess originally called Amonute ("Little Brave Warrior") and Matoaka or "Flower between two streams", thought life was made to love and to be loved !
