William Howard Microsoft Dbq

While not the most well known president, William Howard Taft did accomplish a lot in his 4 year term as president. In first thinking about Taft one might recall that he was the president who got stuck in a bathtub. And although that is true, being stuck in a bathtub should not be all that he is known for. Not much else is well known about Taft other than the fact that he was the only president who also served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and was the only president who never wanted to be president. Because of this he became known as the “Reluctant President.” William Howard Taft was a very accomplished man beginning with his early life, to his presidency, and after his presidency.

William Howard Taft began his early life on September

And in June of 1921, he was given the position of his life-long dream, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. There he made a lot of good changes. He signed the Judiciary Act of 1925, which allowed the court to pick any cases they wish to hear (Neher par 7). He also supported the Mann-Elkins Bill. This bill allowed the railroads to regulate their finances more effectively and efficiently. This saved the government lots of money. It is said that his most important contribution to laws was his ruling in the case Meyers v. United States. This granted the President sole authority to remove federal officers (Neher par 8). Regrettably, Taft had to retire in February of 1930 because of health conditions. About a month later, on March 8, 1930 he died in his sleep from heart failure (Wilson par 12). He is one of only two presidents buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Washington D.C. (Blue

President Taft was the first president to hold both the title of President and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. He was the first president to ride around Washington D.C. in the automobile. He liked them so much, he asked for 3 more vehicles. And, as stated before, Taft got stuck in the bathtub during his presidency. He weighed over 300 hundred pounds and due to his enormous size, was not able to get out of the bathtub. A new one was then ordered just for him (Blue 22). Taft was also the first president to throw out the first pitch at a baseball game. This was a great honor for him because, although he was not that good at it, he loved the sport. Another interesting fact about Taft was he was the last and maybe only president to allow a cow, named Pauline Wayne, to graze on the White House lawn (Blue