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William Howard Taft

An Offten Critizised and Forgetten President

Safadit 11/4/22

Period 7 Part In Gov

William Howard Taft was the 27th president of The United States of America from 1909 to 1930 aswell as serving as the 10th chief justice of the United States from 1921 to 1930; Him serving in both these positions is what he's most known for rather then his presidency on its own.

Who Is William H. Taft

Taft's Early Years

Alphonso Taft and Louise Torrey welcomed William Howard Taft into the world in Cincinnati, Ohio, on September 15, 1857. The Taft family, who resided in a small house in the neighborhood of Mount Auburn, were suprisingly not wealthy although Taft's father Under President Ulysses S. Grant, worked as a judge, an ambassador, the secretary of war for the United States, and the attorney general.

Early Life

Alphonso Taft , Louise (Torrey) Taft and A young William Taft who is about 6 years old in this picture

(left to right)

Early And Late Education

Although as a child William Taft was not seen as particularly intelligent, his demanding parents pushed him and his four siblings toward excellence, tolerating nothing less. He went to Cincinnati's Woodward High School. The chubby, heavyset Taft was a popular student and the intramural heavyweight wrestling champion at Yale College, when he enrolled in 1874. One of his classmates praised him for having ethics and working hard rather than just being the brightest person in the class. In 1878, Taft finished second out of 121 students in his class. He went to Cincinnati Law School and earned a Bachelor of Laws degree there in 1880.

Education

Taft's Yale College Photograph circa 1878

First Official Job

Early Career

While in law school, he worked on The Cincinnati Commercial newspaper, which was edited by Murat Halstead; Officially formed around 1865 and shutting down somwhere from 1883 to 1930, sources are inconsistent.

Cincinati Commercial Newspaper issue from Nover 23 of 1863

Rise In Government

Early Political Career

Taft was tasked with covering the local courts and also spent time researching the law at his father's office; both of these responsibilities provided him with outside-the-classroom practical understanding of the law. Taft went to Columbus to take the bar test shortly before finishing law school and passed with flying colours.

Taft fully committed himself to his work at the Commercial after being admitted to the Ohio bar. Taft refused Halstead's offer to hire him permanently at a higher salary if he would give up the law. Taft was named assistant prosecutor for Hamilton County in October 1880, and he began serving in that capacity in January of the following year. Taft tried his fair share of criminal trials throughout his year as an assistant prosecutor. He left his position in January 1882.

Lawyer And Judge

In 1889, there was a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court, and Governor Foraker recommended Taft be appointed to fill it by President Harrison. Taft, who was 32, had always had a Supreme Court seat as his career objective. He aggressively pursued the position, writing to the governor to urge him to support his application while telling others it was doubtful he would succeed. Instead, Harrison gave him the position of US Solicitor General in 1890.

Solicitor General

Taft was appointed as a federal judge for life, with the possibility of advancement to the Supreme Court. Taft's duties included hearing trials in the circuit, which comprised Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, and Tennessee, and taking part in appeals hearings alongside judges from the Sixth Circuit and Justice John Marshall Harlan.

Federal Judge

From March 16, 1900, to July 4, 1901, William Howard Taft served as the Philippine Commission's first chairman. Following that, he also assumed the role of Civil Governor of the Philippines. Taft held that position until January 31, 1904, when President Theodore Roosevelt named him secretary of war.

Philippine Commission

In 1904, after Elihu Root resigned as secretary of defense, President Theodore Roosevelt called on an old acquaintance. In the War Department from February 1904 until June 1908, Taft worked. He spent 255 days on special assignments, working with the Pope, traveling to Cuba, or supervising the Panama Canal's construction.

Secretary Of War

Due to a blizzard, William Howard Taft's inauguration as the 27th president of the United States took place in the Senate chamber of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, March 4, 1909, rather than the East Portico as usual. The only presidential term of William Howard Taft began with this, the 31st inauguration.

Presidency

MAny of Taft's achivements were undermined by critics of him however he did do many things that are quite noteworthy. He established a postal savings system, established the Interstate Commerce Commission, approved the first tariff reform since 1897, and brought over 75 antitrust cases to court, far more than "trust-buster" Theodore Roosevelt did.

Noteworthy Accomplishments

Newspaper Report on the charges against Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company

Family Life

His wife, Nellie Taft was given major responsibility for the family and home by William Howard Taft. Robert Alphonso and Helen Herron, two of his three children, were attending college when he was president. Robert earned his Yale degree in 1910 before enrolling at Harvard Law School, where he earned his first-class degree in 1913. He would later rise to prominence and prominence, gaining the moniker "Mr. Republican" and becoming one of the most influential senators of the twentieth century. In 1917, Helen graduated from Yale with a degree in history. Charles Phelps, the youngest sibling, spent his youth at the White House. He was eleven years old in 1908.

As President, William Howard Taft faced a difficult task: living up to Roosevelt's legacy. Being naturally skeptical of his own talents and having scant political experience and expertise did not help. Taft wanted to be adored as a person and recognized for his judicial temperament. He was a warm-hearted and gentle man. Taft lacked much leadership ability and rarely took the initiative in legislative concerns. He had a knack for carefully considering every angle of a problem. He lacked fundamentally decisiveness. For instance, he did nothing as the Republican-controlled Congress added 847 amendments to his tariff reform proposal, ending any chance for substantive change. In addition, he did nothing.

Legacy

Statue Of Taft Located In The University Of Cincinnati

To put my personal opinions into a matter thats been far gone for quite a while I'd say I have no real opinion on Taft considering how little he really affected in todays modern society. Adding on to that, I'm not really the best with politics and as ironic as it may be I myself am a very indesisive person just like Taft so I can't really say whether or not I'd vote for him.

My Personal Opinions On Taft

  • "10 birthday facts about President and Chief Justice William Howard Taft". National Constitution Center. September 15, 2018
  • Gould, Louis L. (February 2000). Taft, William Howard. American National Biography Online
  • Lurie, Jonathan (2011). William Howard Taft: Progressive Conservative. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  • https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-Howard-Taft
  • https://www.presidentprofiles.com/Grant-Eisenhower/William-Howard-Taft-Conclusions.html
  • https://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/APA/Historical-Essays/Exclusion-and-Empire/The-Philippines/?fbclid=IwAR0bN1miTsgPTsEG1dCxcAGSY0AMNTGIaMc049cAZfGd0xnwmFJtVGPHodY
  • https://www.nps.gov/people/william-howard-taft.htm
  • https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/william-howard-taft/
  • https://www.whitehousehistory.org/the-life-and-presidency-of-william-howard-taft
  • https://millercenter.org/president/roosevelt/essays/taft-1904-secretary-of-war

Sources

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