William Howard Taft

William Howard Taft was born on September 15, 1857, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Alphonso Taft and Louise Torrey. His family resided in the Cincinnati suburb of Mount Auburn. Alphonso Taft held numerous governmental positions, including U.S. Secretary of War, Attorney General, and ambassador. William Howard Taft was not regarded as exceptionally brilliant during childhood but was characterized as diligent and hardworking, influenced by his demanding parents and his five siblings.

He attended Woodward High School in Cincinnati, and later enrolled at Yale College in 1874. At Yale, Taft was a heavyset, jovial individual, known for his popularity and successes in intramural heavyweight wrestling. He graduated in 1878, second in his class of 121 students, and was elected to the secret society Skull and Bones, which was co-founded by his father. Subsequently, he attended Cincinnati Law School, earning a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1880. During law school, he gained practical legal experience by working on The Cincinnati Commercial newspaper and reading law in his father's office.

After passing the Ohio bar exam, Taft began practicing law in Cincinnati. He was appointed assistant prosecutor for Hamilton County, Ohio, in January 1881, serving for one year. In March 1882, he was appointed Collector of Internal Revenue for Ohio's First District by President Chester A. Arthur, a position he held until resigning in 1883 to pursue private practice. In 1884, Taft engaged in political campaigning for Republican candidate James G. Blaine, who lost the presidential election to Grover Cleveland.

In 1887, at age 29, Taft was appointed to the Superior Court of Cincinnati after a vacancy was created by Governor Joseph B. Foraker. He was elected to a full five-year term in 1888. During this period, he authored judicial opinions, notably Moores & Co. v. Bricklayers' Union No. 1 (1889), involved in subsequent political campaigns.

Taft married Helen Herron, known as Nellie, on June 19, 1886. Their marriage lasted nearly 44 years, and they had three children, including Robert Taft, who became a U.S. senator.

In 1890, President Benjamin Harrison appointed Taft as Solicitor General of the United States, a position he held for approximately a year. As Solicitor General, he was responsible for managing and arguing cases before the Supreme Court. He successfully argued 15 of 18 cases and implemented a policy encouraging the government to admit errors in its legal positions, a practice that persists today.

In 1891, Taft was appointed to a judgeship on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Cincinnati, after which he resigned as Solicitor General in 1892 to continue his judicial career. He maintained his judicial duties, with the potential for appointment to the Supreme Court, which was a professional goal.

From 1901 onward, Taft's political career advanced significantly. President William McKinley appointed him civilian governor of the Philippines in 1901. In 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Taft as Secretary of War, promoting him to serve as Roosevelt’s preferred successor for the presidency.

Taft sought the Republican nomination for president in 1908 with the backing of Roosevelt, and he secured the nomination with minimal opposition. He defeated Democratic candidate William Jennings Bryan in the November election and served as the 27th President of the United States from 1909 to 1913. His presidency was marked by efforts to reduce tariffs, intervene in Latin American countries, and address issues related to conservation and antitrust regulations, which introduced internal conflicts within the Republican Party.

The 1912 presidential election became a three-way contest, with Roosevelt challenging Taft for the Republican nomination. Roosevelt's decision to run as a third-party candidate after losing the nomination led to a split in the Republican Party, resulting in Taft’s defeat to Democrat Woodrow Wilson. Taft carried only Utah and Vermont in that election.

After his presidency, Taft resumed academic and political activities, teaching at Yale University and working on peace initiatives, including the League to Enforce Peace. In 1921, President Warren G. Harding appointed him as Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, a position he held until health issues prompted his resignation in February 1930. He died on March 8, 1930, and was interred at Arlington National Cemetery, becoming the first president and first Supreme Court justice to be buried there.

William Howard Taft remains ranked among U.S. presidents by historians, generally placing in the middle range in evaluations.