(2013) First Spouse Bronze Medal - Edith Wilson

Coin Details

Description

The Edith Wilson bronze medal recognizes the second wife of Woodrow Wilson and a woman some historians have called the first female president of the United States. Edith Bolling Galt Wilson married Woodrow Wilson on December 18, 1915, less than a year after Ellen Wilson's death and during the first term of his presidency. The obverse, designed by Joel Iskowitz and sculpted by Michael Gaudioso, portrays a woman whose role expanded dramatically after Woodrow Wilson suffered a massive stroke on October 2, 1919. For the remaining seventeen months of his presidency, Edith Wilson controlled access to the president, screened all documents, and determined which matters of state were important enough to bring to his attention. She described this as her "stewardship," but critics then and since have argued she was effectively governing the country. The reverse, designed by Joel Iskowitz and sculpted by Don Everhart, references her controversial role during Wilson's incapacity. Before entering public life, Edith Bolling was a descendant of Pocahontas and the first woman in Washington to hold a driver's license. After Wilson's death in 1924, she guarded his legacy fiercely for nearly forty years, dying in 1961 on the anniversary of Woodrow Wilson's birthday. Struck in bronze at 1-5/16 inches, this medal and the Ellen Wilson medal together cover both of Wilson's marriages within the 2013 First Spouse release.

Rarity Notes

Struck at the Philadelphia Mint during 2013 with open mintage. The dramatic story of Edith Wilson's "stewardship" during her husband's incapacity generates strong collector interest.

Cross References

PCGS #518204; companion to First Spouse Gold $10