Edith Bolling Galt Wilson gained business experience after the death of her first husband, Norman Galt, in 1908. She inherited his Washington jewelry firm and employed a manager to operate it while addressing its debts. Her marriage to President Woodrow Wilson in December 1915 brought her into White House public life. During World War I, she reduced formal entertaining, supported wartime economies, and worked closely beside the president, including helping with confidential correspondence.

She accompanied Wilson to Europe for postwar peace negotiations. His collapse during the 1919 campaign for the League of Nations, followed by a severe stroke in October, transformed her role. Working with his physician, she restricted access to the president and decided which papers and visitors would reach him. Cabinet members and Congress were not fully informed of his condition. She called this arrangement a stewardship and later denied making policy decisions herself, but her control over information gave her considerable influence without a formal constitutional office.

After leaving the White House in 1921, she cared for Wilson at their S Street home until his death in 1924. She then devoted her public activity to preserving his memory, supporting commemorative projects and maintaining the house. Her 1939 autobiography, My Memoir, defended her conduct during his illness. She continued to attend presidential events and bequeathed the Wilson home for preservation as a public memorial.