Woodrow Wilson worked in the United States.
Thomas Woodrow Wilson ( December 28 , 1856 -- February 3 , 1924 ) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th President of the United States from 1913 to 1921 . A member of the Democratic Party , Wilson served as the President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910 and as Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913 . He also led the United States during World War I , establishing an activist foreign policy known as `` Wilsonianism . '' Born in Staunton , Virginia , he spent his early years in Augusta , Georgia and Columbia , South Carolina . With the help of state Democratic bosses , Wilson won the 1910 Democratic nomination for governor of New Jersey , and was elected as a fresh reformer , holding office from 1911 to 1913 .