William Howard Taft

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Portrait, William Howard TaftWilliam Howard Taft 27th President of the United States (March 4, 1909 to March 3, 1913) Nickname: None listed. Born: September 15, 1857, in Cincinnati, Ohio Died: March 8, 1930, in Washington, D.C.

Father: Alphonso Taft Mother: Louisa Maria Torrey Taft Married: Helen Herron (1861-1943), on June 19, 1886 Children: Robert Alphonso Taft (1889-1953); Helen Herron Taft (1891-1987); Charles Phelps Taft (1897-1983) Religion: Unitarian Education: Graduated from Yale College (1878); Cincinnati Law School (1880) Occupation: Lawyer, public official Political Party: Republican Other Government Positions:

  • Judge in Ohio Superior Court, 1887-90
  • U.S. Solicitor General, 1890-92
  • U.S. Circuit Court Judge, 1892-1900
  • Governor of the Philippines, 1901-04
  • Secretary of War, 1904-08 (under tiny U.S. flag T. Roosevelt)
  • Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, 1921-30

Presidential Salary: $75,000/year

Presidential Election Results:
YearPopular VotesElectoral Votes
1908William H. Taft7,676,320321
William J. Bryan6,412,294162
1912tiny U.S. flag Woodrow Wilson6,296,547435
tiny U.S. flag Theodore Roosevelt4,118,57188
William H. Taft3,486,7208

Vice President: James S. Sherman (1909-12) Cabinet:

Secretary of State
Philander C. Knox (1909-13)
Secretary of the Treasury
Franklin MacVeagh (1909-13)
Secretary of War
Jacob M. Dickinson (1909-11)
Henry L. Stimson (1911-13)
Attorney General
George W. Wickersham (1909-13)
Postmaster General
Frank H. Hitchcock (1909-13)
Secretary of the Navy
George von L. Meyer (1909-13)
Secretary of the Interior
Richard A. Ballinger (1909-11)
Walter Lowrie Fisher (1911-13)
Secretary of Agriculture
James Wilson (1909-13)
Secretary of Commerce and Labor
Charles Nagel (1909-13)

Supreme Court Appointments:

Chief Justice
Edward Douglass White (1910-21)
Associate Justice
Horace Harmon Lurton (1910-14)
Charles Evans Hughes (1910-16)
Willis Van Devanter (1911-37)
Joseph Rucker Lamar (1911-16)
Mahlon Pitney (1912-22)

Notable Events: Internet Biographies:

William Howard Taft — from The Presidents of the United States of America
Compiled by the White House.
William Howard Taft — from American Presidents: Life Portraits — C-SPAN
Biographical information, trivia, key events, video, and other reference materials. Website created to accompany C-SPAN’s 20th Anniversary Television Series, American Presidents: Life Portraits.
William Howard Taft — from The American President
From the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia, in addition to information on the Presidents themselves, they have first lady and cabinet member biographies, listings of presidential staff and advisers, and timelines detailing significant events in the lives of each administration.

Historical Documents:

Inaugural Address (1909)

Media Resources:

Audio
Abolishment of war throughout the world. (2:30)
MP3 (1,180K)
From the Vincent Voice Library at Michigan State University.

Other Internet Resources:

William Howard Taft National Historic Site
The Cincinnati, Ohio birthplace and childhood home of Taft. Tourist information is available.

Points of Interest:


Previous President: tiny U.S. flag Theodore Roosevelt | Next President: tiny U.S. flag Woodrow Wilson


©1996-2008. Robert S. Summers. All rights reserved.

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