 President Wilson experienced a mild stroke in September 1919 . On October 2 , he was struck by a much more severe stroke that left him partially paralyzed and almost certainly incapacitated . Wilson 's closest adviser , Joseph Tumulty , did not believe Marshall would be a suitable president and took precautions to prevent him from assuming the presidency . Wilson 's wife Edith strongly disliked Marshall because of what she called his " <unk> " disposition , and also opposed his assumption of the presidency . Tumulty and the First Lady believed that an official communication from Wilson 's staff on his condition would allow Marshall to trigger the constitutional mechanism allowing him to become acting president , and made sure no such communication occurred . After Marshall demanded to know Wilson 's status so that he could prepare for the possibility of becoming president , they had a reporter from the Baltimore Sun brief Marshall and inform him that Wilson was near death . Marshall later said that " it was the first great shock of my life " , but without an official communication on Wilson 's condition , he didn 't believe he could constitutionally assume the presidency . 
