60-Second Presidents William Howard Taft – Background Essay William Howard Taft (1857-1930) came from a well-known Republican family in Cincinnati, Ohio. His father, Alphonso, served as Secretary of War and Attorney General for President Ulysses Grant. Following in his father’s footsteps, Taft went to Yale University, then studied the law. Taft was an excellent lawyer, and his career was furthered by his family’s political connections. President Benjamin Harrison appointed Taft solicitor general (the lawyer who represents the U.S. government before the Supreme Court) and later made him an appeals court judge. Taft enjoyed being a judge, and he hoped to be on the Supreme Court. But in 1900, President William McKinley asked Taft to help set up a new civilian government for the Philippines, which had been acquired in the Spanish- American War. Taft not only organized the government, but also served as the first governor. In 1904, Taft accepted appointment as President Theodore Roosevelt’s Secretary of War. Taft traveled the globe and advised Roosevelt on both military policy and foreign policy. They were good friends, and Roosevelt became convinced that Taft shared his philosophy of a “progressive” government. Roosevelt had promised not to seek a third term in 1908, so he endorsed Taft as his successor. Taft won an overwhelming victory. It soon became clear that Taft’s presidency would not resemble Roosevelt’s. Roosevelt was one of the most activist and popular presidents in American history, and his style of leadership required energy, strong communication skills, and political experience. Taft was physically sluggish—he weighed as much as 330 pounds. He did not enjoy campaigning, and he had never been elected to a political office before 1908. Taft also did not share Roosevelt’s views on presidential power. He was reluctant to take any executive action that was not expressly permitted by the Constitution or other federal laws. Instead of pushing the limits of presidential power, Taft believed it was necessary to first create a statutory framework that would allow new policies to survive legal challenges. ©PBS LearningMedia, 2015. All rights reserved. ! Within those constraints, Taft did support the Progressive Movement. He championed the 16th Amendment, which allowed the federal government to collect income taxes. He tried to lower tariff rates, going against the preferences of large corporate interests. He filed several anti-trust lawsuits, and he secured more power for the executive branch to regulate the economy. However, Roosevelt felt that Taft had betrayed the Progressive Movement, and he challenged Taft for the Republican presidential nomination in 1912. Roosevelt lost, but he still ran for president as the candidate of the new Progressive Party. Republican voters were divided between Taft and Roosevelt, and as a result, both men lost to Democrat Woodrow Wilson. Taft was not finished with his public career. In 1921, President Warren Harding appointed him chief justice of the United States, and he served on the Supreme Court until his poor health compelled him to retire in early 1930. He died one month later. ©PBS LearningMedia, 2015. All rights reserved. !.