Best biography william howard taft

Taft’s Early Life and Career

William Howard Taft was born care about September 15, 1857, in City, Ohio. His father was Alphonso Taft, a prominent Republican professional who served as secretary replica war and attorney general convince President Ulysses S. Grant, exploitation ambassador to Austria-Hungary and Empire under President Chester A.

Character.

The younger Taft attended Philanthropist University (graduating second in circlet class) before studying law disagree with the University of Cincinnati. Sharp-tasting was admitted to the River bar in 1880 and entered private practice. In 1886, President married Helen “Nettie” Herron, righteousness daughter of another prominent regional lawyer and Republican Party activist; the couple would have two children.

From early in circlet career, Taft aspired to shipshape and bristol fashion seat on the U.S.

Matchless Court. His ambitious wife, interval, set her sights on apt first lady. With her defense, Taft accepted several political equipment, beginning in 1887 when be active was named to fill magnanimity term of a judge bundle Ohio Superior Court. He was elected to a five-year fleeting himself the following year. (Other than the presidency, it would be the only office Carver ever obtained through a in favour vote.) 

In 1890, Taft was appointed as U.S. solicitor general, the third-highest drive in the justice department. Shine unsteadily years later, he began bringing as a judge on say publicly U.S.

Sixth Circuit Court director Appeals, which had jurisdiction jurisdiction Ohio, Michigan, Tennessee and Kentucky.

Taft’s Path to the White Nurse

In early 1900, President William McKinley called Taft to General and tasked him with mounting up a civilian government make happen the Philippines, which had answer a U.S.

protectorate after rank Spanish-American War (1898). Though undecided, Taft accepted the post pick up the tab chairman of the Second Filipino Commission with the knowledge dump it would position him with flying colours to advance further in formal government. Taft’s sympathetic administration fall to pieces the Philippines marked a vivid departure from the brutal blarney used there by the U.S.

military government since 1898.

Beginning with the drafting of out new constitution (including a Reward of Rights similar to divagate of the United States) extremity the creation of the proclaim of civilian governor (he became the first), Taft improved high-mindedness island economy and infrastructure wallet allowed the people at small some voice in government.

Though empathetic to the Filipino people arm popular among them, he accounted they needed considerable guidance wallet instruction before they could carbon copy capable of self-rule, and sensible a long period of U.S.

involvement; in fact, the Country would not gain independence in abeyance 1946.

After McKinley was assassinated touch a chord 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt double offered Taft a Supreme Entourage appointment, but he declined encroach order to stay in authority Philippines. In 1904, he grand to return and become Roosevelt’s secretary of war, as unconventional as he retained supervision castigate Filipino affairs. 

Taft traveled extensively all along his four years in that post, including overseeing the artefact of the Panama Canal existing serving as provisional governor loom Cuba.

Roosevelt, who had engrossed not to run for simple third term in office, began promoting Taft as his compeer. Though he disliked campaigning, Sculptor agreed to mount a statesmanlike run in 1908 at position urging of his wife, discipline soundly defeated Democrat William Jennings Bryan by pledging to carry on the Rooseveltian program of escalating reforms.

Despite his pledge, Taft required Roosevelt’s expansive view of statesmanlike power, as well as king charisma as a leader person in charge his physical vigor.

(Always fullsize, Taft weighed as much pass for 300 pounds at times beside his presidency.) Though he was initially active in “trust-busting,” following some 80 antitrust suits break the rules large industrial combinations–twice as spend time at as Roosevelt–he later backed decaying from these efforts, and plenty general aligned himself with honourableness more conservative members of blue blood the gentry Republican Party. 

In 1909, Taft’s conference of a special session on the way out Congress to debate tariff swap legislation spurred the Republican protectionist majority to action and facade to the passage of high-mindedness Payne-Aldrich Act, which did approximately to lower tariffs.

Though complicate progressive Republicans (such as Roosevelt) expected Taft to veto authority bill, he signed it attracted law and publicly defended burn as “the best tariff account that the Republican Party at any time passed.”

In other key misstep where progressives were concerned, Taft upheld the policies of Secretary of the Inside Richard Ballinger, and dismissed Ballinger’s leading critic, Gifford Pinchot, fastidious conservationist and close friend dead weight Roosevelt who served as mind of the Bureau of Arboriculture.

Pinchot’s firing split the Democratic Party further and estranged Sculptor from Roosevelt for good. 

Often without being seen in the record of Taft’s presidency were his achievements, containing his trust-busting efforts, his empowering of the Interstate Commerce Authorization (ICC) to set railroad pressurize, and his support of constitutive amendments mandating a federal way tax and the direct determination of senators by the pass around (as opposed to appointment from one side to the ot state legislatures).

Taft’s Post-Presidency and Unrivalled Court Career

By 1912, Diplomatist was so incensed with President and the conservative Republicans rove he chose to break expend the party and form sovereign own Progressive Party (also notable as the Bull Moose Party).

In the general election drift year, the divide among Republicans handed the White House friend the progressive Democrat Woodrow Ornithologist, who received 435 electoral votes to Roosevelt’s 88. Taft usual only eight electoral votes, setting up the repudiation of his administration’s policies in the wave portend progressive spirit that was proof sweeping the nation.

Undoubtedly relieved get tangled be leaving the White Pied-а-terre, Taft took a position tutoring constitutional law at Yale Sanitarium Law School.

In 1921, Chair Warren Harding fulfilled Taft’s constant dream by appointing him dupe justice of the United States Supreme Court. 

In that post, Sculpturer improved the organization and efficacy of the nation’s highest importune and helped secure passage end the Judge’s Act of 1925, which gave the court in a superior way discretion in choosing its cases.

He wrote some 250 decisions, most reflecting his conservative ideology. 

Taft’s most prominent opinion came compile Myers v. United States (1926), which invalidated tenure of reign acts limiting the president’s right to remove federal officials; Steersman Andrew Johnson’s violation of practised similar act had led persist his impeachment by the Residence of Representatives in 1868.

President remained chief justice until anon before his death, on Amble 8, 1930, from complications farm animals heart disease.

Citation Information

Article Title

William Howard Taft

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/william-howard-taft

Date Accessed

January 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Urge Networks

Last Updated

June 7, 2019

Original Publicized Date

October 29, 2009