Edward Mandell House (July 26, 1858 - March 28, 1938) was an American statesman during the period around World War I. Commonly known as Colonel House, he had a relationship of enormous personal influence with U.S. President Woodrow Wilson as his foreign policy advisor. He was pro-British and influenced Wilson's decision to enter WWI. Although he held no official position in the government, he often represented the Wilson administration to European governments before, during, and after the war.