Woodrow Wilson

Elected New Jersey governor in 1910 by party bosses who expected a compliant academic, the former Princeton president turned on them within months, pushing through direct primaries, a corrupt practices act, a public utilities commission and workers' compensation in a single legislative session in 1911. That record made him a national progressive and won him the 1912 Democratic nomination. His state reforms were real; as president he allowed segregation of the federal civil service, the part of his record his reputation struggles with.