New Jersey used to be proud of Woodrow Wilson. He was the only Governor of New Jersey to become President of the United States. He was also the only U.S. President to earn his doctorate. He was also President of Princeton University and helped to start the League of Nations after World War I. The League of Nations failed but lead to the formation of The United Nations which exists today. A bust of Woodrow Wilson has stood in the statehouse for decades. It was removed and put in storage in 2017 while major renovations were taking place. Those renovations are now almost complete and Woodrow Wilson will remain in storage. A spokesman for Governor Murphy told Politico: "Due to the multiple new space constraints created by the renovation the bust will remain in storage."
It's pretty clear the main reason the bust won't be in the statehouse has to do with the way the Wilson Administration treated African Americans and his views on race. Which by today's standards would be considered clearly racist. President Wilson's name was also recently removed from a building at Princeton University. As a person who appreciates our nation's rich history leaving the bust in storage saddens me. Ignoring a person's accomplishments and contributions to the world because they were wrong at times benefits no one. We have all been wrong at times. History is something we should learn from not erase.
Source: NJ.COM
Photo: Getty Images