Aaron Taft

The Taft family is an American political family of English descent, originating in Massachusetts. Its members have held various political and governmental positions across several states, including Massachusetts, Ohio, Rhode Island, Utah, and Vermont, as well as at the federal level. The family has produced two U.S. Presidents, three Senators, multiple governors, and other officials such as secretaries, attorneys general, and a chief justice.

The earliest known ancestor of the family was Richard Robert Taft, born in England in 1614, who died in County Louth, Kingdom of Ireland, in 1700. His son, Robert Taft Sr., was born circa 1640 in Ireland and emigrated to what became the United States. Robert Taft Sr. married Sarah Simpson in 1668 in Braintree, Massachusetts. They established a homestead around 1680 in what is now Uxbridge, Massachusetts. Robert Taft Sr. died in 1725, and his wife Sarah died in 1726. Their son, Robert Taft Jr., was born in 1674 in Braintree and was a founding member of the Uxbridge Board of Selectmen in 1727.

A branch of the family's Massachusetts lineage descends from Daniel Taft Sr., the son of Robert Taft Sr., born at Braintree in 1677 and died in Mendon in 1761. Daniel was a justice of the peace, and his descendants included Josiah Taft, who died in 1756. Lydia Taft, considered America's first woman voter, was a member of this branch, voting in town meetings beginning in 1756. Lydia was the widow of Josiah Taft, who served in the Colonial Legislature, and her first vote was for funding military regiments during the French and Indian War.

Members of the family participated prominently in the American Revolutionary War, with at least twelve soldiers from Uxbridge bearing the Taft surname. Lydia Taft's son, Bezaleel Taft Sr., served as a captain during the Revolution and responded to the Battle of Lexington and Concord in 1775. He also became a Massachusetts legislator and senator. His descendants continued a tradition of public service, including Bezaleel Taft Jr., George S. Taft, and others involved in local and state government.

In Vermont, Peter Rawson Taft I, born in Uxbridge in 1785, moved to Townshend. He became a Vermont legislator and later died in Cincinnati, Ohio. His son, Alphonso Taft, was born in Vermont and attended Yale University, where he founded the Skull and Bones society. Alphonso served as U.S. Secretary of War and Attorney General, and was the father of William Howard Taft, the 27th President of the United States and Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

The family maintained strong ties to Massachusetts, as evidenced by the Taft family reunions held at Elmshade, Massachusetts, including ones in 1874. President William Howard Taft visited Uxbridge and Mendon multiple times; he was the grandson of Peter Rawson Taft I and often spoke of his family roots in the area. His ancestors included prominent figures such as Alphonso Taft and Samuel Taft.

President William Howard Taft's travels to Uxbridge in 1905 were notable, and he expressed that the town held more relatives than any other in America. His visits drew attention from national media, including The New York Times. Taft’s trips to his ancestral hometowns reinforced the deep historical ties of the family to the region.

Ezra T. Benson, another notable member, was a Mormon pioneer and later an apostle in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, further exemplifying the family's diverse involvement in American religious and social history.