Woodrow Wilson still fascinates more than a century after he dominated American politics. With a panoramic sweep in Woodrow Wilson: The Light Withdrawn, Christopher Cox assesses his life and his role in the movements for racial equality and women’s suffrage. The Wilson that emerges is a man superbly unsuited to the moment when he ascended to the presidency in 1912, as the struggle for women’s voting rights in America reached the tipping point. 

When, in the twilight of his second term, two-thirds of Congress stood on the threshold of passing the Anthony Amendment, Wilson abruptly switched his position. But in sympathy with like-minded southern Democrats, he acquiesced in a “race rider” that would protect Jim Crow. The heroes responsible for the eventual success of the unadulterated Anthony Amendment are brought to life by Cox, an author steeped in the ways of Washington and political power. 

Please join CEI for a book forum with Christopher Cox, in conversation with Kent Lassman, about the unrighteous leader of the Progressive Era. 

When: Wednesday, November 13, 2024, 12:30 – 2:30 pm

Luncheon followed by book forum and signing. 


Where: The Showroom, 1099 14th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005


Questions[email protected] or 202.331.2764

Pre-order Woodrow Wilson: The Light Withdrawn here.

Register: https://www.tfaforms.com/5150042

Christopher Cox is a Senior Scholar in Residence at the University of California, Irvine, a Life Trustee at the University of Southern California, Chair of the Rhodes Scholarship selection committee for Southern California and the Pacific, and a member of several nonprofit and for-profit boards. Between two decades as a practicing lawyer, he served as chair of the Homeland Security Committee in the US House of Representatives, chair of the US Securities and Exchange Commission, and senior associate council to the President. He has written for Fortune, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Forbes, The Detroit News, The Denver Post, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and dozens of other publications. 

Kent Lassman is the book forum host for the Competitive Enterprise Institute. As president and CEO, he leads a feisty team devoted to radical reforms of an unaccountable regulatory state. Lassman has interviewed leading academics such as Annie Duke, Casey Mulligan, Cass Sunstein, and Bart Wilson, government officials such as Senator Mike Lee, then-Interior Secretary David Bernhardt and then-EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, as well as prominent authors such as Marian Tupy and Jonathan Rauch.

Get Information About Upcoming CEI Events

Sign-up to receive news and information about CEI events all year around.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.