A recent post mentioned some of our less savory administrative governmental heritage dating from the time of President Woodrow Wilson.  Not mentioned in the article or the comments, understandably, was any reference as to how and why Pres. Wilson came to represent a formative administrative state.  The real story is interesting, informative, and important. At the end of the 19th century, a powerful Texas political governor-maker by the name of Edward Mandel House – nicknamed "Colonel," though he never served in the military – looked to broaden his political and imaginative horizons by relocating to the East, where he assessed national politics and ferreted out a role to play at the highest possible social, political, and educational levels.  He found an opportunity in the person of Woodrow Wilson, Yale University professor.  Latching onto Wilson, just as...(Read Full Post)