Remembering William Howard Taft
On March 8, 1930 (84 years ago today) William Howard Taft, the 27th President of the United States and the tenth Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, died in Washington D.C. at the age of 72. He is the only person to have served in both of these offices.
William Howard Taft was born on September 15, 1857, near Cincinnati, Ohio, the son of Louisa Torrey and Alphonso Taft. His father was a prominent Republican who served as Secretary of War and Attorney General under President Ulysses S. Grant. Before becoming President, Taft was appointed to serve as a judge of the Superior Court of Cincinnati in 1887. In 1890, Taft was appointed Solicitor General of the United States in the Benjamin Harrison administration and in 1891 he was appointed as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. In 1900, Taft left the bench to take an appointment by President William McKinley as Governor-General of the Philippines. In that position Taft was highly regarded by the local population.
In 1904, Taft's good friend Theodore Roosevelt appointed Taft as Secretary of War in an effort to groom Taft, then his close political ally, into succeeding Roosevelt as President. Besides managing his own department, Taft assumed a troubleshooter's role for Roosevelt, on some occasions acting as Secretary of State. He reluctantly turned down two offers from Roosevelt to serve on the Supreme Court, even though serving on the court had been a dream of his.
Riding a wave of popular support for fellow Republican Roosevelt, Taft won an easy victory in his 1908 bid for the presidency. As President, Taft's domestic agenda emphasized trust-busting, civil service reform, strengthening the Interstate Commerce Commission, improving the performance of the postal service, and passage of the Sixteenth Amendment, which allowed the imposition of income tax. In foreign relations, Taft sought to further the economic development of nations in Latin America and Asia through "Dollar Diplomacy", and showed decisiveness and restraint in response to revolution in Mexico, when he mobilized troops at the border. Taft seemed oblivious to the political ramifications of his decisions, many of which offended his former mentor Theodore Roosevelt, who challenged Taft for the GOP nomination in 1912 and who ran against Taft as a third party candidate.
Taft was overwhelmingly defeated in his bid for a second term in the presidential election of 1912. After leaving office, Taft spent his time as a law school professor, as an arbitrator, and the pursuit of world peace through his self-founded League to Enforce Peace. In 1921, President Warren G. Harding appointed Taft Chief Justice of the United States. He served in this capacity until shortly before his death in 1930.
Taft retired as Chief Justice on February 3, 1930, because of ill health. Charles Evans Hughes, whom he had appointed as an Associate Justice while President, succeeded him as Chief Justice. Five weeks following his retirement, Taft died on March 8, 1930. On March 11, he became the first president to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
William Howard Taft was born on September 15, 1857, near Cincinnati, Ohio, the son of Louisa Torrey and Alphonso Taft. His father was a prominent Republican who served as Secretary of War and Attorney General under President Ulysses S. Grant. Before becoming President, Taft was appointed to serve as a judge of the Superior Court of Cincinnati in 1887. In 1890, Taft was appointed Solicitor General of the United States in the Benjamin Harrison administration and in 1891 he was appointed as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. In 1900, Taft left the bench to take an appointment by President William McKinley as Governor-General of the Philippines. In that position Taft was highly regarded by the local population.
In 1904, Taft's good friend Theodore Roosevelt appointed Taft as Secretary of War in an effort to groom Taft, then his close political ally, into succeeding Roosevelt as President. Besides managing his own department, Taft assumed a troubleshooter's role for Roosevelt, on some occasions acting as Secretary of State. He reluctantly turned down two offers from Roosevelt to serve on the Supreme Court, even though serving on the court had been a dream of his.
Riding a wave of popular support for fellow Republican Roosevelt, Taft won an easy victory in his 1908 bid for the presidency. As President, Taft's domestic agenda emphasized trust-busting, civil service reform, strengthening the Interstate Commerce Commission, improving the performance of the postal service, and passage of the Sixteenth Amendment, which allowed the imposition of income tax. In foreign relations, Taft sought to further the economic development of nations in Latin America and Asia through "Dollar Diplomacy", and showed decisiveness and restraint in response to revolution in Mexico, when he mobilized troops at the border. Taft seemed oblivious to the political ramifications of his decisions, many of which offended his former mentor Theodore Roosevelt, who challenged Taft for the GOP nomination in 1912 and who ran against Taft as a third party candidate.
Taft was overwhelmingly defeated in his bid for a second term in the presidential election of 1912. After leaving office, Taft spent his time as a law school professor, as an arbitrator, and the pursuit of world peace through his self-founded League to Enforce Peace. In 1921, President Warren G. Harding appointed Taft Chief Justice of the United States. He served in this capacity until shortly before his death in 1930.
Taft retired as Chief Justice on February 3, 1930, because of ill health. Charles Evans Hughes, whom he had appointed as an Associate Justice while President, succeeded him as Chief Justice. Five weeks following his retirement, Taft died on March 8, 1930. On March 11, he became the first president to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.