 Woodrow Wilson was elected President of the United States in 1912, was re-elected in 1916 promising to keep the nation out of war, led the nation through World War I, and left office in 1921.At 2 AM on September 26, 1919, while traveling to Wichita, Kansas, on a nationwide speaking tour to win public support to pressure the Senate into ratifying the Treaty of Versailles, Wilson collapsed and, after cancelling the rest of his speaking tour, was rushed back to the capital by train.His condition worsened on the journey, and upon arriving at the White House on October 2 the President suffered a life-threatening stroke that left him permanently paralyzed on his left side and blind in the left eye.