President Woodrow Wilson also sickened in last part of his presidency

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- President Trump is not the first president to get sick during his time in office. President Woodrow Wilson also came down with the flu while overseas and became very ill following a stroke during the last year and a half of his presidency.

While Spanish Flu raged, Wilson was in Paris attending the peace conference after the end of World War One.

While there he ended up getting badly ill with a regular flu, not the Spanish Flu, so much so he had to leave negotiations to throw up and was bedridden for three days.

University of Wisconsin Madison Emeritus Professor of History John Cooper researched that moment as part of his biography of the 28th president.

Cooper said Wilson suffered a much bigger medical issue in September of 1919.

He had a stroke, followed by a urinary infection which severely weakened him.

Cooper said Wilson was not the same after and should have resigned or been removed from office, although there was no process for that then.

He said the White House never told the public any of this and it wasn't until months later that one of Wilson's doctors spilled the beans.

Cooper said presidents can't keep such secrets today, but said White Houses have always downplayed presidential illnesses.

"Whenever a president gets sick, there's always minimizing it, because there's so much that rests on the president and we always want to have optimistic reports, and that's what presidents' doctors do," said Cooper.

Wilson finished his term in 1921 and died three years later in 1924.