Taft, William Howard

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TAFT, WILLIAM HOWARD

Despite his imposing stature (six foot tall, three hundred pounds), William Howard Taft (1857–1930) was a reluctant President of the United States (1909–1913). To be leader of the nation was not Taft's first ambition, but his wife, brothers, and close-friend President Theodore Roosevelt (1901–1909) convinced Taft to run for the presidency in 1908. He won the election against Democratic candidate William Jennings Bryan. Taft's tenure as the twenty-seventh President was undistinguished. He was a man with little taste for politics, and he made many blunders throughout his term in office. Although he was a poor president, he was a fine Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, a position to which he was appointed in 1921, eight years after he left the White House. This appointment fulfilled a life-long ambition, and he performed his job with passion, competence, and enthusiasm.

William Howard Taft was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on September 15, 1857 to a family that lived in comfortable circumstances. They had migrated to Ohio from New England. Since Taft's father and grandfather had both served as judges, he also aspired to a career on the bench. In preparation, he began his studies at Yale University, finishing second in his class, and he received a law degree from the Cincinnati Law School in 1880.

Determined to assist the citizens of his state, Taft held many public offices throughout his early career. In 1887 he served as an Ohio superior court judge. Three years later, Taft was named U.S. solicitor general by President Benjamin Harrison (1889–1893), a position he held successfully until 1892 when he returned to Ohio for a seat on the Circuit Court of Appeals.

Taft distinguished himself as a federal judge and developed an ambition to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. That ambition would have to wait, however, as President William McKinley (1897–1901) requested in 1900 that Taft become president of the Philippine Commission. Working in the unstable and newly independent Philippine Islands, Taft established a civil government designed to serve the needs of its citizens, established an educational system, built roads and harbors, and pushed rapidly for limited self-government for the people whose islands were "possessed legally" by the United States during the Spanish-American War (1898).

Twice, in 1902 and in 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt offered Taft a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. Taft regretfully turned it down to fulfill his commitment in the Philippines. A year later, however, Taft did accept Roosevelt's offer to become Secretary of War. This position still allowed him to be involved with matters in the Philippines and gave him responsibility for the construction of the Panama Canal. In addition to struggling with the problems and expenses of building the canal, Taft supported missions to Japan, hoping to create alliances for the U.S. in the Far East.

As President Roosevelt's term came to an end, he encouraged Taft to seek the presidency. Roosevelt and Taft had become good friends over the course of their careers and Roosevelt was convinced Taft was the best candidate for the job. With apprehension, Taft agreed to be the Republican presidential nominee in 1908, and in the election he defeated the Democratic candidate William Jennings Bryan. Even in victory, the new president still had misgivings, and said that he felt, "just like a fish out of water."

Taft's timid, conservative style alienated many in Congress. His attempt to reduce tariffs met with strong opposition from Republicans, while supporters of the measure were angered by what they perceived as Taft's lack of forcefulness. It was an inauspicious beginning.

The disagreements over tariff reductions set the tone for Taft's administration. Taft was denounced by many in Congress for what appeared to be weakness towards powerful business interests. His administration also seemed to reverse the strong conservationist policies of his predecessor by opening up much valuable government land for lumber and mining interests. He fired the head of the national Forest Service, Gifford Pinchot (1865–1946), who refused to cover up a scandal in the Interior Department.

Working against him in a coalition, Republicans and Democrats in Congress drove through a half dozen reform measures, most of which Taft opposed. The measures included the creation of a graduated income tax, the direct election of senators by the voters, and an increase in the powers of the Interstate Commerce Commission to control business. Taft was also faced with the uncertainties of social reform. Working people faced an increasingly volatile and shifting marketplace, and Taft paid little attention to making the necessary changes that would help stabilize the workplace by regulating relations between newly industrialized workers and growing industrial businesses.

Despite his discomfort in office and his difficulties with the legislative branch, Taft's administration was not without accomplishment. He oversaw the creation of the Postal Savings plan, a program to protect citizens' savings, and the admission of Arizona and New Mexico as new U.S. states. In addition, although Taft's predecessor Theodore Roosevelt had the reputation of a "trust buster," Taft's four years of leadership saw twice as many trust prosecutions as occurred throughout the eight years of Roosevelt's administration.

The tension between Taft and Congress eventually affected his friendship with Theodore Roosevelt. During the next presidential campaign in 1912, Taft and Roosevelt vied against each other for the Republican nomination. Taft was re-nominated, but in spite of that Roosevelt formed a new party, the Bull Moose Party. He ran against Taft in the election, and their competing campaigns split the Republican vote, giving the presidency to the Democratic candidate Woodrow Wilson (1913–1921).

Taft was relieved to leave White House. Over time, he and Roosevelt reconciled, and their friendship was restored. Taft taught law at Yale University until 1921, when President Warren Harding (1921–1923) named him Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Taft's long-time ambition was fulfilled. He accepted the post. As Chief Justice, Taft was well respected and performed the functions of his position confidently and enthusiastically. He made no secret of his happiness to be out of the White House and back in the courthouse. Taft served eight years on the bench until his death in 1930, at age 78.

See also: Interstate Commerce Commission, Spanish-American War, Tobacco Trust, Trust-Busting