Secondary sourceBook1924
Woodrow Wilson As I Know Him
Joseph P. Tumulty · 1924
A 1924 memoir by Joseph Tumulty, Wilson's private secretary, offering a close personal account of the president.
As Wilson's private secretary, Tumulty wrote this personal memoir drawing on his close working relationship with the president.
About this source
What it is
This memoir was written by Joseph P. Tumulty, who served as the private secretary to President Woodrow Wilson. Published in 1924, it draws on Tumulty's personal experience working closely with Wilson, as well as other contemporary accounts of his presidency.
Why it matters
As someone who worked directly with Wilson, Tumulty offers an insider's perspective that most historians could not access. This kind of source shows how the people closest to a leader remembered and chose to present him, which can differ from outside accounts.
Look closer
- How might Tumulty's close relationship with Wilson shape what he chose to include or leave out?
- Why would a private secretary's memoir be valuable even though it is not an objective history?
- What might this memoir reveal about Wilson that official documents would not show?
This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Woodrow Wilson on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.
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