Thursday, July 14, 2011

US Presidents Trivia: Who was the first President to leave American soil while President?

It is now taken as a matter of course that US Presidents leave the country to conduct matters of foreign affairs.  However, this was once not the case - in fact, in a different era, President's literally never left the country.  So, off of Pocket Trivia: US Presidents - Who was the first President to leave American soil while President?  Was it Franklin Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson or Woodrow Wilson?



The correct answer to this one is Woodrow Wilson, somewhat fascinating.  At the time, this was considered a very big deal (particularly given the barriers to effective communication that existed at the time).

At the conclusion of World War I, Wilson travelled to Paris to represent America in the peace talks on how a post World War I world would be shaped.  This makes him the first President to ever leave the country while President.  He visited a variety of locations in Europe and also became the first American President to ever visit the Pope.

While Wilson was gone, many domestic operations were overseen by Wilson's friend and aide, Colonel Edward House.

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