Who was William Howard Taft? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Died At Age: 72

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Helen Herron Taft

father: Alphonso Taft

mother: Louise Taft

siblings: Charles Phelps Taft, Henry Waters Taft, Horace Dutton Taft, Peter Rawson Taft II

children: Charles Phelps Taft II, Helen Taft Manning, Robert A. Taft

Chief Justices American Men

Height: 6'0" (183 cm), 6'0" Males

political ideology: Political party - Republican

Died on: March 8, 1930

place of death: Washington, D.C., United States

U.S. State: Ohio

Cause of Death: Heart Disease

Ancestry: British American

City: Cincinnati, Ohio

Ideology: Republicans

Notable Alumni: University Of Cincinnati

Founder/Co-Founder: United States Department of Labor, United States Children's Bureau

More Facts

education: Yale University, University Of Cincinnati

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William Howard Taft served as the Secretary of War under President Theodore Roosevelt.
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After his presidency, William Howard Taft became the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
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William Howard Taft's foreign policy approach was known as "Dollar Diplomacy," which emphasized economic investments in foreign countries.
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In the 1912 presidential election, William Howard Taft lost to Woodrow Wilson, who became the next President of the United States.
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William Howard Taft played a key role in the construction of the Panama Canal as he oversaw the project during his presidency.

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Childhood & Early Life

William Howard Taft was born on September 15, 1857, in Ohio to Louisa Torrey and Alphonso Taft. He had five siblings. His father, a prominent Republican of his time, was a lawyer who served as Secretary of War and Attorney General under President Ulysses S. Grant.

He received his primary education from Woodward High School and went on to attend Yale College in New Haven, Connecticut. He was a very good student who excelled in academics and was also active in sports like golf, tennis, and wrestling. He graduated in 1878.

After graduation he went to the Cincinnati Law School, earning a Bachelor of Laws in 1880. Soon he was admitted to the Ohio bar.

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Career

William Taft was appointed Assistant Prosecutor of Hamilton County, Ohio, upon his admission to the bar. Over the next few years he steadily rose through the ranks and was appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Cincinnati in 1887.

He was made the Solicitor General of the United States in 1890 by President Benjamin Harrison. Aged just 32 at that time, he was the youngest-ever Solicitor General. From 1892 to 1900 he served as a judge of the United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

He also served as the first dean and a professor of constitutional law at the University of Cincinnati between 1896 and 1900.

In 1901, Taft was made the Governor-General of the Philippines, the first civilian to serve in this position. In this role he was responsible for overseeing the economic development of the islands. He served in this position till 1904 and proved to be very popular with both Americans and Filipinos.

President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Taft as Secretary of War in 1904. He initiated the Second Occupation of Cuba in September 1906 and established the Provisional Government of Cuba, declaring himself Provisional Governor of Cuba. He was succeeded as Provisional Governor by Charles Edward Magoon in October the same year. He served as the Secretary of War till 1908.

President Roosevelt had already declared that he would not run for reelection in 1908, and he pushed through Taft’s name for the nomination of the Republican ticket for the 1908 US presidential election. Even though Taft was more interested in a Supreme Court appointment than he was in becoming the President, he decided to run for presidency.

Taft faced Democrat William Jennings Bryan in the election and was able to easily defeat him. He was sworn in as the 27th President of the United States on March 4, 1909. His presidency however proved to be a difficult one.

He lacked aggressive leadership qualities like his predecessor Roosevelt. Initially touted to be progressive, he aligned himself with the more conservative members in the Republican Party—a move which angered the progressives. He further earned the wrath of the progressives when he backed the Payne-Aldrich Tariff of 1909, a highly protectionist measure.

He was a supporter of free immigration and supported Booker T. Washington's initiative to uplift African-American citizens. He emphasized on education and entrepreneurship for the blacks and vetoed a congressional law imposing a literacy test on unskilled laborers.

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Taft stood for reelection in 1912 and was defeated by Democrat Woodrow Wilson. He stepped down from presidency on March 4, 1913.

After stepping down from presidency, he was appointed the Chancellor Kent Professor of Law and Legal History at Yale Law School. In 1914 he was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and wrote a number of articles and books during this time. During the World War I he served as a co-chairman of the National War Labor Board between 1917 and 1918.

He achieved a long-held dream of his in 1921 when President Warren G. Harding nominated Taft to the position of the Chief Justice of the United States. He proved to be highly successful in this position and was a much respected figure. He served in this role until 1930.

Major Works

Becoming the Chief Justice of the United States was the lifelong dream of the former president. In this position he traveled to England to study the procedural structure of the English courts and advocated the introduction and passage of the Judiciary Act of 1925 in the United States. The act gave the Supreme Court more control over its docket and allowed the Court to work more efficiently.

Personal Life & Legacy

He married Helen Louise Herron in 1886. The couple had three children. His wife played a prominent role in the progression of his career and was one of his key political advisors.

He was obese and suffered from heart ailments for years prior to his death. His health progressively worsened following his retirement from the Supreme Court on February 3, 1930. William Howard Taft died on March 8, 1930, aged 72.

Facts About William Howard Taft

William Howard Taft was not only the 27th President of the United States, but he also served as the 10th Chief Justice of the United States, making him the only person to have held both positions.

Despite his size, he was an avid baseball fan and even started the tradition of the presidential first pitch at baseball games.

Taft was a lover of the outdoors and enjoyed playing golf, hiking, and camping.

He was known to take breaks from his presidential duties to escape to his summer retreat in New Hampshire, where he could relax and enjoy nature.

Taft's presidency was marked by his commitment to trust-busting and anti-corruption efforts, earning him a reputation as a progressive reformer.

He established the Department of Labor and supported the passage of the 16th Amendment, which allowed for the federal income tax.

William Howard Taft Biography

You wanted to know

What was William Howard Taft's role in the government before becoming President?

What significant court did William Howard Taft become Chief Justice of after his presidency?

What was William Howard Taft's foreign policy approach known as?

What was the result of the 1912 presidential election in which William Howard Taft ran for reelection?

What significant role did William Howard Taft play in the construction of the Panama Canal?