Woodrow Wilson’s Birthday Celebration – Staunton Honors a Distinguished Son

During December 1912 in Staunton, many children anxiously waited for Christmas and many adults anxiously prepared for the visit of President-elect Woodrow Wilson to begin on December 27. The occasion for Wilson’s visit was to celebrate his 56th birthday on December 28th at the place of his birth in the Presbyterian Manse on Coalter Street.

On Election Day, Tuesday, November 5, 1912, Rockingham County cast 3,195 votes for president of which fifty-five percent went to Wilson. On November 18th the local newspaper reported that plans were well underway for a “mammoth celebration” for Woodrow Wilson in Staunton on December 28th. The visit was planned to be a sentimental and non-political journey. Speculation centered on whether Wilson would come to the Valley by way of Harpers Ferry or Washington. [1]

The Election of 1912

One hundred years ago was the last time Virginia offered one of its own as a candidate for the Presidency of the United States. Woodrow Wilson was born on December 28, 1856 in the Manse of the First Presbyterian Church in Staunton Virginia. In 1912 he was the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party. Though Wilson left Staunton in his first year, the town stayed true to him. Fifty-four years later in 1911 some Staunton citizens launched the first “Wilson for President” club.