The remaining two years of his first administration were mainly concerned with the issues raised by the World War. As soon as the war broke out, he tendered his good offices to any and all of the warring nations. Thence he was occupied for some months in preserving America's neutrality and at the same time in defending her rights. The years were very troubled ones, marked by the sinking of the "Lusitania," German plots, and the recall of Dumba, the Austro Hungarian minister at Washington, and of Captains Boy Ed and Von Papen, German attaches. In December, 1915, President Wilson sent a message to Con gress in which he advocated more stringent Federal laws to protect the country against such plots, and also measures of military and naval pre paredness.
In July, 1916, Wilson was unanimously renominated for President by the Demo cratic National Convention at St. Louis; and on November 7, 1916, was re-elected, receiving 277 electoral votes to 254 cast for the Republican nominee, Charles E. Hughes. In the popular vote, Wilson had a plurality of 581,941, receiving 9,129, 269 votes to 8,547,328 cast for Hughes. One of the features of the election was that the vote of California, which was decisive, was so close that the final re sult was not known until some days after the election.
The second administration of President Wilson was one of the most momentous in American history. In February, 1917, the German ambassador to the United States was given his passports; and in April the United States entered the war. The President who in a remarkable series of state papers had made the issues of the war clear had behind him a united people; and the American army and navy were decisive factors in securing the final military triumph of the Allied and Associated Powers. During the peace negotiations, which followed the signing of the armistice on Nov. 11, 1918,
Wilson broke one of the traditions of the Presidential office by himself going to Paris as head of the American peace delegation. He took a very prominent part in the making of the treaty of Versailles, particulary in the section of the treaty dealing with the League of Nations. The treaty, however, met with hitter opposition in the Senate and failed of the two-thirds vote necessary for rati fication. Consequently the treaty became one of the leading issues in the presi dential campaign of 1920, as the Demo crats under the leadership of Governor Cox, of Ohio, indorsed Wilson's position, while the Republicans led by Senator Harding, of Ohio, approved the stand of the Senate in refusing to ratify without certain reservations. In September, 1919, while on a tour of the country to win popular support for the League of Nations, Wilson had a serious physical breakdown. Mr. Wilson took no active part in the election of 1920, although he cordially supported Gov. Cox. Following the inauguration of Senator Harding, he retired to private life in Washington.
He formed a partnership with Bain bridge Colby, former Secretary of State, for the practice of international law.
Mr. Wilson married Ellen Louise Axson, of Savannah, Georgia, June 24, 1885, by whom he had three daughters. She died August 6, 1914. On Dec. 18, 1915, he married Mrs. Edith Bolling Galt, of Washington.
As an author, Mr. Wilson was known by several important works on govern ment and history. These included "Con gressional Government" (1885) ; "The State" (1889) ; "George Washington" (1896) ; "A History of the American People" (1902) ; "The New Freedom" (1913). He was also an essayist of dis tinction, "Mere Literature and Other Essays" (1893) ; "On Being Human" (1916).