William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857 – March 8, 1930) served as the 27th President of the United States (1909–1913) and as the tenth Chief Justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected president in 1908, the chosen successor of Theodore Roosevelt, but was defeated for re-election by Woodrow Wilson in 1912 after Roosevelt split the Republican vote by running as a third-party candidate. In 1921, President Warren G. Harding appointed Taft to be chief justice, a position in which he served until a month before his death.
Taft was born in Cincinnati in 1857. His father, Alphonso Taft, was a U.S. Attorney General and Secretary of War. William Taft attended Yale and was a member of Skull and Bones secret society like his father, and after becoming a lawyer was appointed a judge while still in his twenties. He continued a rapid rise, being named Solicitor General and as a judge of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. In 1901, President William McKinley appointed Taft civilian governor of the Philippines. In 1904, Roosevelt made him Secretary of War, and he became Roosevelt's hand-picked successor. Despite his personal ambition to become chief justice, Taft declined repeated offers of appointment to the Supreme Court of the United States, believing his political work to be more important.
With Roosevelt's help, Taft had little opposition for the Republican nomination for president in 1908, and easily defeated William Jennings Bryan for the presidency that November. In the White House, he focused on East Asia more than European affairs, and repeatedly intervened to prop up or remove Latin American governments. Taft sought reductions to trade tariffs, then a major source of governmental income, but the resulting bill was heavily influenced by special interests. His administration was filled with conflict between the conservative wing of the Republican Party, with which Taft often sympathized, and the progressive wing, toward which Roosevelt moved more and more. Controversies over conservation and over antitrust cases filed by the Taft administration served to further separate the two men. Roosevelt challenged Taft for renomination in 1912. Taft used his control of the party machinery to gain a bare majority of delegates, and Roosevelt bolted the party. The split left Taft with little chance of re-election; he took only Utah and Vermont in Wilson's victory.
After leaving office, Taft returned to Yale as a professor, continuing his political activity and working against war through the League to Enforce Peace. In 1921, President Harding appointed Taft as chief justice, an office he had long sought. Chief Justice Taft was a conservative on business issues, but under him, there were advances in individual rights. In poor health, he resigned in February 1930. After his death the next month, he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, the first president and first Supreme Court justice to be interred there. Taft is generally listed near the middle in historians' rankings of U.S. presidents.
Contents
1 Early life and education 2 Rise in government (1880–1908) 2.1 Ohio lawyer and judge 2.2 Solicitor General 2.3 Federal judge 2.4 Philippine years 2.5 Secretary of War 3 Presidential election of 1908 3.1 Gaining the nomination 3.2 General election campaign 4 Presidency (1909–1913) 4.1 Inauguration and appointments 4.2 Foreign policy 4.2.1 Organization and principles 4.2.2 Tariffs and reciprocity 4.2.3 Latin America 4.2.4 East Asia 4.2.5 Europe 4.3 Domestic policies and politics 4.3.1 Antitrust 4.3.2 Ballinger–Pinchot affair 4.3.3 Civil rights 4.4 Judicial appointments 4.5 1912 presidential campaign and election 4.5.1 Moving apart from Roosevelt 4.5.2 Primaries and convention 4.5.3 Campaign and defeat 5 Return to Yale (1913–1921) 6 Chief Justice (1921–1930) 6.1 Appointment 6.2 Taft Court membership timeline 6.3 Jurisprudence 6.3.1 Commerce Clause 6.3.2 Powers of government 6.3.3 Individual rights 6.4 Administration and political influence 7 Declining health and death 8 Legacy and historical view 9 Media 10 See also 11 Notes 12 References 13 Sources 14 External links
Early life and education Yale College photograph of Taft
William Howard Taft was born September 15, 1857 in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Alphonso Taft and Louise Torrey.[1] The Taft family was not wealthy, living in a modest home in the suburb of Mount Auburn. Alphonso served as a judge, ambassador and in the cabinet, as War Secretary and Attorney General under Ulysses S. Grant.[2]
William Taft was not seen as brilliant as a child, but was a hard worker; Taft's demanding parents pushed him and his four brothers toward success, tolerating nothing less. He attended Woodward High School in Cincinnati. At Yale College, which he entered in 1874, the heavyset, jovial Taft was popular. One classmate described him succeeding through hard work rather than being the smartest, and as having integrity.[3] In 1878, Taft graduated, second in his class out of 121.[4] He attended Cincinnati Law School,[5] and graduated with a Bachelor of Laws in 1880. While in law school, he worked on The Cincinnati Commercial newspaper,[4] edited by Murat Halstead. Taft was assigned to cover the local courts, and also spent time reading law in his father's office; both activities gave him practical knowledge of the law that was not taught in class. Shortly before graduating from law school, Taft went to the state capital of Columbus to take the bar examination and easily passed.[6] Rise in government (1880–1908) Ohio lawyer and judge
After admission to the Ohio bar, Taft devoted himself to his job at the Commercial full-time. Halstead was willing to take him on permanently at an increase in salary if he would give up the law, but Taft declined. In October 1880, Taft was appointed assistant prosecutor for Hamilton County (where Cincinnati is located), and took office the following January. Taft served for a year as assistant prosecutor, trying his share of routine cases.[7] He resigned in January 1882 after President Chester A. Arthur appointed him Collector of Internal Revenue for Ohio's First District, an area centered on Cincinnati. [8] Taft refused to dismiss competent employees who were politically out of favor, and resigned effective in March 1883, writing to Arthur that he wished to begin private practice in Cincinnati.[9] In 1884, Taft campaigned for the Republican candidate for president, Maine Senator James G. Blaine, who lost to New York Governor Grover Cleveland.[10]
In 1887, Taft, then aged 29, was appointed to a vacancy on the Superior Court of Cincinnati by Governor Joseph B. Foraker. The appointment was good for just over a year, after which he would have to face the voters, and in April 1888, he sought election for the first of three times in his lifetime, the other two being for the presidency. He was elected to a full five-year term. Some two dozen of Taft's opinions as a state judge survive, the most significant being Moores & Co. v. Bricklayers' Union No. 1[a] (1889) if only because it was used against him when he ran for president in 1908. The case involved bricklayers who refused to work for any firm that dealt with a company called Parker Brothers, with which they were in dispute. Taft ruled that the union's action amounted to a secondary boycott, which was illegal.[11]
And really who the fucking fuck is Squirrel The Tree Man ?
Talk about an unimposing wuss nickname...
Am I supposed to listen to TSIO podcasts cause Squirrel The Tree Man is my role model ? Did you guys have to pay a lot for his endorsement ?
Do bitcheZ dig the Tree Man ?
I don't know if he's still around, but back in the day there was a poster on Dawgman.com named Taft. At about 4AM every morning he would post a bunch of links about the Huskies on the message boards. He never had any opinions or got into arguments, just posted links. And about every three months, he would announce that he was going to be gone for a week as he was going on a fishing trip, often to Alaska.
And really who the fucking fuck is Squirrel The Tree Man ?
Talk about an unimposing wuss nickname...
Am I supposed to listen to TSIO podcasts cause Squirrel The Tree Man is my role model ? Did you guys have to pay a lot for his endorsement ?
Do bitcheZ dig the Tree Man ?
I don't know if he's still around, but back in the day there was a poster on Dawgman.com named Taft. At about 4AM every morning he would post a bunch of links about the Huskies on the message boards. He never had any opinions or got into arguments, just posted links. And about every three months, he would announce that he was going to be gone for a week as he was going on a fishing trip, often to Alaska.
To add to this, poasters (hardy har har) would always present their gratitude with a hearty "thanks Taft".
And really who the fucking fuck is Squirrel The Tree Man ?
Talk about an unimposing wuss nickname...
Am I supposed to listen to TSIO podcasts cause Squirrel The Tree Man is my role model ? Did you guys have to pay a lot for his endorsement ?
Do bitcheZ dig the Tree Man ?
I don't know if he's still around, but back in the day there was a poster on Dawgman.com named Taft. At about 4AM every morning he would post a bunch of links about the Huskies on the message boards. He never had any opinions or got into arguments, just posted links. And about every three months, he would announce that he was going to be gone for a week as he was going on a fishing trip, often to Alaska.
And really who the fucking fuck is Squirrel The Tree Man ?
Talk about an unimposing wuss nickname...
Am I supposed to listen to TSIO podcasts cause Squirrel The Tree Man is my role model ? Did you guys have to pay a lot for his endorsement ?
Do bitcheZ dig the Tree Man ?
I don't know if he's still around, but back in the day there was a poster on Dawgman.com named Taft. At about 4AM every morning he would post a bunch of links about the Huskies on the message boards. He never had any opinions or got into arguments, just posted links. And about every three months, he would announce that he was going to be gone for a week as he was going on a fishing trip, often to Alaska.
Thanks, knew there had to be a backstory that HH fucktards like me would find enthralling -
I feel smarter and more informed, maybe I will join in some politic debates in The Tug now...
And really who the fucking fuck is Squirrel The Tree Man ?
Talk about an unimposing wuss nickname...
Am I supposed to listen to TSIO podcasts cause Squirrel The Tree Man is my role model ? Did you guys have to pay a lot for his endorsement ?
Do bitcheZ dig the Tree Man ?
I don't know if he's still around, but back in the day there was a poster on Dawgman.com named Taft. At about 4AM every morning he would post a bunch of links about the Huskies on the message boards. He never had any opinions or got into arguments, just posted links. And about every three months, he would announce that he was going to be gone for a week as he was going on a fishing trip, often to Alaska.
Thanks, knew there had to be a backstory that HH fucktards like me would find enthralling -
I feel smarter and more informed, maybe I will join in some politic debates in The Tug now...
As long as you devotedly side with either sledog (God that handle is stupid) or Hondo you can never truly be wrong.
Comments
And really who the fucking fuck is Squirrel The Tree Man ?
Talk about an unimposing wuss nickname...
Am I supposed to listen to TSIO podcasts cause Squirrel The Tree Man is my role model ? Did you guys have to pay a lot for his endorsement ?
Do bitcheZ dig the Tree Man ?
Taft was born in Cincinnati in 1857. His father, Alphonso Taft, was a U.S. Attorney General and Secretary of War. William Taft attended Yale and was a member of Skull and Bones secret society like his father, and after becoming a lawyer was appointed a judge while still in his twenties. He continued a rapid rise, being named Solicitor General and as a judge of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. In 1901, President William McKinley appointed Taft civilian governor of the Philippines. In 1904, Roosevelt made him Secretary of War, and he became Roosevelt's hand-picked successor. Despite his personal ambition to become chief justice, Taft declined repeated offers of appointment to the Supreme Court of the United States, believing his political work to be more important.
With Roosevelt's help, Taft had little opposition for the Republican nomination for president in 1908, and easily defeated William Jennings Bryan for the presidency that November. In the White House, he focused on East Asia more than European affairs, and repeatedly intervened to prop up or remove Latin American governments. Taft sought reductions to trade tariffs, then a major source of governmental income, but the resulting bill was heavily influenced by special interests. His administration was filled with conflict between the conservative wing of the Republican Party, with which Taft often sympathized, and the progressive wing, toward which Roosevelt moved more and more. Controversies over conservation and over antitrust cases filed by the Taft administration served to further separate the two men. Roosevelt challenged Taft for renomination in 1912. Taft used his control of the party machinery to gain a bare majority of delegates, and Roosevelt bolted the party. The split left Taft with little chance of re-election; he took only Utah and Vermont in Wilson's victory.
After leaving office, Taft returned to Yale as a professor, continuing his political activity and working against war through the League to Enforce Peace. In 1921, President Harding appointed Taft as chief justice, an office he had long sought. Chief Justice Taft was a conservative on business issues, but under him, there were advances in individual rights. In poor health, he resigned in February 1930. After his death the next month, he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, the first president and first Supreme Court justice to be interred there. Taft is generally listed near the middle in historians' rankings of U.S. presidents.
Contents
1 Early life and education
2 Rise in government (1880–1908)
2.1 Ohio lawyer and judge
2.2 Solicitor General
2.3 Federal judge
2.4 Philippine years
2.5 Secretary of War
3 Presidential election of 1908
3.1 Gaining the nomination
3.2 General election campaign
4 Presidency (1909–1913)
4.1 Inauguration and appointments
4.2 Foreign policy
4.2.1 Organization and principles
4.2.2 Tariffs and reciprocity
4.2.3 Latin America
4.2.4 East Asia
4.2.5 Europe
4.3 Domestic policies and politics
4.3.1 Antitrust
4.3.2 Ballinger–Pinchot affair
4.3.3 Civil rights
4.4 Judicial appointments
4.5 1912 presidential campaign and election
4.5.1 Moving apart from Roosevelt
4.5.2 Primaries and convention
4.5.3 Campaign and defeat
5 Return to Yale (1913–1921)
6 Chief Justice (1921–1930)
6.1 Appointment
6.2 Taft Court membership timeline
6.3 Jurisprudence
6.3.1 Commerce Clause
6.3.2 Powers of government
6.3.3 Individual rights
6.4 Administration and political influence
7 Declining health and death
8 Legacy and historical view
9 Media
10 See also
11 Notes
12 References
13 Sources
14 External links
Early life and education
Yale College photograph of Taft
William Howard Taft was born September 15, 1857 in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Alphonso Taft and Louise Torrey.[1] The Taft family was not wealthy, living in a modest home in the suburb of Mount Auburn. Alphonso served as a judge, ambassador and in the cabinet, as War Secretary and Attorney General under Ulysses S. Grant.[2]
William Taft was not seen as brilliant as a child, but was a hard worker; Taft's demanding parents pushed him and his four brothers toward success, tolerating nothing less. He attended Woodward High School in Cincinnati. At Yale College, which he entered in 1874, the heavyset, jovial Taft was popular. One classmate described him succeeding through hard work rather than being the smartest, and as having integrity.[3] In 1878, Taft graduated, second in his class out of 121.[4] He attended Cincinnati Law School,[5] and graduated with a Bachelor of Laws in 1880. While in law school, he worked on The Cincinnati Commercial newspaper,[4] edited by Murat Halstead. Taft was assigned to cover the local courts, and also spent time reading law in his father's office; both activities gave him practical knowledge of the law that was not taught in class. Shortly before graduating from law school, Taft went to the state capital of Columbus to take the bar examination and easily passed.[6]
Rise in government (1880–1908)
Ohio lawyer and judge
After admission to the Ohio bar, Taft devoted himself to his job at the Commercial full-time. Halstead was willing to take him on permanently at an increase in salary if he would give up the law, but Taft declined. In October 1880, Taft was appointed assistant prosecutor for Hamilton County (where Cincinnati is located), and took office the following January. Taft served for a year as assistant prosecutor, trying his share of routine cases.[7] He resigned in January 1882 after President Chester A. Arthur appointed him Collector of Internal Revenue for Ohio's First District, an area centered on Cincinnati. [8] Taft refused to dismiss competent employees who were politically out of favor, and resigned effective in March 1883, writing to Arthur that he wished to begin private practice in Cincinnati.[9] In 1884, Taft campaigned for the Republican candidate for president, Maine Senator James G. Blaine, who lost to New York Governor Grover Cleveland.[10]
In 1887, Taft, then aged 29, was appointed to a vacancy on the Superior Court of Cincinnati by Governor Joseph B. Foraker. The appointment was good for just over a year, after which he would have to face the voters, and in April 1888, he sought election for the first of three times in his lifetime, the other two being for the presidency. He was elected to a full five-year term. Some two dozen of Taft's opinions as a state judge survive, the most significant being Moores & Co. v. Bricklayers' Union No. 1[a] (1889) if only because it was used against him when he ran for president in 1908. The case involved bricklayers who refused to work for any firm that dealt with a company called Parker Brothers, with which they were in dispute. Taft ruled that the union's action amounted to a secondary boycott, which was illegal.[11]
2000-2.0 will be remembered vehemently for the next 16 years.
I feel smarter and more informed, maybe I will join in some politic debates in The Tug now...
I want what Kim has in the box
Sark is a master motivator, instills discipline and calls a great game
jeZuZ Fukk man, what the hell did you give me ?