William Howard Taft 27th U.S. President, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court ( 1857 – 1930 )

Taft was born in Cincinnati into the powerful Taft pointed both his predecessor and successor Chief family, the son of Alphonso Taft who served as Sec- Justices, respectively. White was named Chief retary of War under President Ulysses S. Grant. Taft Justice in 1910. Hughes later resigned to run as graduated from Yale in 1878, and from Cincinnati the Republican Party’s presidential candidate in Law School in 1880. He was appointed a judge to the 1916 election, which he would lose. President the Ohio Superior Court in 1887, and then to the U.S. HERBERT HOOVER nominated Hughes to the Court Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in 1891. as Chief Justice following Taft’s retirement. In 1900, President William McKinley appointed Near the end of Taft’s first term, Roosevelt turned Taft Governor-General of the Philippines, which on his former protégé in one of the most dra- had been ceded to the U.S. by Spain. As Governor- matic political feuds of the 20th century. But Taft General, the rotund Taft once sent a telegram to outmaneuvered the popular Roosevelt and seized Washington that read, “Went on a horse ride today; control of the GOP. Taft had the backing of many feeling good.” Secretary of War ELIHU ROOT replied, former Roosevelt boosters, including ELIHU ROOT, “How’s the horse?” In 1904, Roosevelt appointed HENRY L. STIMSON, and Roosevelt’s own son-in- Taft to succeed Root. law, Nicholas Longworth. Out of the 14 Republi- After serving for nearly two full terms, Roosevelt can primaries held, Roosevelt won nine, and Taft declined to run in the election of 1908 and support- won just three. Robert LaFollette won the other ed Taft, who won an easy victory over William Jen- two. Still, Taft won the nomination at the conven- nings Bryan. In his only term, he emphasized trust- tion. busting as a main issue, supported by his Attorney Roosevelt was forced to create the Progressive General GEORGE W. WICKERSHAM. He strengthened Party (or “Bull Moose”) ticket, splitting the Re- the Interstate Commerce Commission, improved publican vote in the 1912 race, allowing WOOD- the performance of the postal service, and helped ROW WILSON’s election. Taft won just the eight the passage of the Sixteenth Amendment. In 1910, electoral votes of Utah and Vermont, making it Taft, an ardent baseball fan, inaugurated a presi- the single worst defeat in history for an incum- The animosity between Taft and Roosevelt was such that dential tradition by throwing out the first ball at bent president seeking reelection. if one was present in the Cen- the Washington Senators opener. [His half brother Taft served as a law professor at Yale until Pres- tury when the other arrived, Charles Phelps Taft later purchased the Chicago a hallman would apprise, say, ident Harding made him Chief Justice of the Su- Mr. Roosevelt, that Mr. Taft Cubs.] preme Court, a position he held until just before was in the West Room. The Taft made six appointments to the Supreme Court his death in 1930. To Taft, the appointment was staff diligence was so good that the ex-presidents never including Edward Douglas White and CHARLES his greatest honor; he wrote, “I don’t remember collided at the Club. EVANS HUGHES. With these two Taft essentially ap- that I was ever President.”