This page will contain wikis about William Howard Taft, as they become available.William Howard TaftWilliam Howard Taft (September 15, 1857 – March 8, 1930) was an American politician, jurist, and the 27th President of the United States, serving a single term from 1909 to 1913. A Republican, Taft served as Secretary of War, federal judge for the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and Governor-General of the Philippines before being nominated for president in the 1908 Republican National Convention with the backing of his predecessor and close friend Theodore Roosevelt. Taft defeated Democrat William Jennings Bryan in the presidential election, and during his presidency prosecuted the trusts, strengthened the Interstate Commerce Commission, expanded the civil service, and established a better postal system. Two constitutional amendments were passed during his term: the 16th Amendment, authorizing a federal income tax, and the 17th Amendment, mandating the direct election of senators by the people instead of by the state legislatures (see below). Taft was the first president to occupy the Oval Office when it was opened in October 1909. Taft later broke off contact with Roosevelt in one of the most well-publicized political feuds of the 20th century. In the 1912 election, Taft lost his bid for a second term; Roosevelt ran on his newly formed Progressive Party ("Bull Moose") ticket, splitting the Republican vote and resulting in the election of Woodrow Wilson. Taft later became Chief Justice, becoming the only president to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Early life and careerTaft was born on September 15, 1857, in Cincinnati, Ohio. His mother was Mount Holyoke graduate Louisa Torrey; his father was Alphonso Taft, a prominent Republican, who served as Secretary of War under President Ulysses S. Grant. Like his father, the younger Taft went to college at Yale University, where he was a member of Skull and Bones, the secret society co-founded by his father. He was also a member of the Beta chapter of the Psi Upsilon fraternal organization. After college, he attended Cincinnati Law School and began his political career in Ohio shortly after joining the bar in 1880. In 1892, Taft was appointed by President Benjamin Harrison as an associate judge for the newly created Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a post which he held until 1900. In 1900, President William McKinley appointed Taft as the chairman of a commission to organize a civilian government in the Philippines, which had been ceded to the United States by Spain following the Spanish-American War and the 1898 Treaty of Paris. From 1901 to 1903, Taft served as the first civilian Governor-General of the Philippines. In 1903, Theodore Roosevelt named Taft as Secretary of War, and he returned to the United States. PresidencyOfficial White House portrait of Taft.After serving nearly two full terms, the popular Theodore Roosevelt refused to run in the election of 1908. Instead, he promoted Taft as the next Republican president. With Roosevelt's help, Taft handily defeated Democrat William Jennings Bryan. Throughout his presidency, Taft contended with dissent from more liberal members of the Republican Party, many of whom continued to follow the lead of former President Roosevelt. Taft fought for prosecution of trusts, further strengthened the Interstate Commerce Commission, established a postal savings bank and a parcel post system, expanded the civil service and sponsored the enactment of two amendments to the Constitution. The 16th Amendment authorized a federal income tax; the 17th Amendment, ratified in 1913, mandated the direct election of senators by the people, replacing the system whereby they were selected by state legislatures. He also signed legislation that created the United States Department of Labor. Yet balanced against these achievements was Taft's acceptance of a tariff with protective schedules that outraged liberal opinion; his opposition to the entry of the state of Arizona into the Union because of its liberal constitution; and his growing reliance on the conservative wing of his party. By 1910 Taft's party was divided. Progressive Republicans openly challenged Taft in the Congressional elections of 1910 and in the Republican presidential primaries of 1912. When Taft won the Republican nomination, the Progressives organized a rival party (the United States Progressive Party, a.k.a. "Bull Moose") and selected Theodore Roosevelt to run against Taft in the general election. Roosevelt's Bull Moose candidacy split the Republican vote and helped elect Democrat Woodrow Wilson. Evidence from eyewitnesses and from Taft himself strongly suggests he had severe obstructive sleep apnea during his Presidential term of office, a consequence of his 300 to 340 pound (136 to 159 kg) weight. His legendary tendency to fall asleep in almost any circumstance, an open secret and source of embarassment for his intimates, is now understood to have been the most obvious manifestation of the disease. Within a year of leaving the Presidency Taft lost approximately 70 pounds (32 kg), dropping his weight from 335 pounds to 264 pounds. His hypersomnolence resolved and, less obviously, his systolic blood pressure dropped 40 to 50 mmHg (from 210 mmHg). Undoubtedly, this weight loss saved his life. CabinetSupreme Court AppointmentsTaft appointed the following Justices to the Supreme Court of the United States:
Notably, Taft's 6 appointments to the Court rank third only to those of Washington and FDR, with his appointment of 5 new justices tied with Jackson and Lincoln. Taft's unusual opportunity to make 5 appointments in the single Court term of 1910-1911 came largely from the sickly composition of the Court in 1909; the youngest justice Moody was so ill as to leave the bench in the middle of the 1909 term and never return, and the four justices over 70 were in various stages of decline with three dying before the 1910 term. Perhaps as a result, 4 of Taft's appointments were men of relative youth and vigor at 48, 51, 53 and 54. States Admitted to the Union
Chief JusticeThe U.S. Supreme Court in 1925. Taft is seated in the bottom row, middle.From 1921 until 1930, Taft served on the Supreme Court as Chief Justice of the United States. He was the only President to do so, and thus the only former president to swear in future presidents. He gave the oath of office to both Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover. He was also the first chief justice without any prior high court experience. In an effort to make the Court work more efficiently, he advocated passage of the 1925 Judges Act enabling the Supreme Court to give precedence to cases of national importance. Taft retired as chief justice on February 3, 1930, due to ill health. He died 33 days later on Saturday March 8. During the last summer of his life, Taft weighed about 244 pounds, one pound more than his average weight in college. Three days later, on March 11, he became the first American president to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. His wife, Helen, was reported to have said that his service as Secretary of War was what qualified him for burial there while, in fact, anyone who serves as president and thus Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces is entitled to burial at Arlington. He is one of two presidents (the other being John F. Kennedy) and one of four chief justices buried at Arlington (the others being Earl Warren, Warren Burger, and William Rehnquist). A third generation of the Taft family entered the national political stage in 1938. The former president's oldest son, Robert A. Taft I, was elected to the United States Senate. A vociferous critic of the New Deal, Robert Taft was a Republican leader in the Senate from 1939-1953. His other son, Charles Phelps Taft II served as mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio from 1955 to 1957. Two more generations of the Taft family later entered politics. The President's grandson, Robert Taft Jr., served a term as a Senator from Ohio from 1971-1977; the President's great-grandson, Robert A. Taft II, is the current Governor of Ohio. William Howard Taft III was U.S. ambassador to Ireland. William Howard Taft IV is a high official in the United States Department of State. Trivia
Media |
|
Taft II, is the current Governor of Ohio. Home Depot management has an ambitious plan to overtake its biggest competitor, Rona, which is about four times its size in number of stores. The President's grandson, Robert Taft Jr., served a term as a Senator from Ohio from 1971-1977; the President's great-grandson, Robert A. The Canadian unit was created with the purchase of Aitkenhead Hardware. Two more generations of the Taft family later entered politics. The Canadian operations consists of more than a hundred stores in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan and employs over 18,000 people in Canada. His other son, Charles Phelps Taft II served as mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio from 1955 to 1957. The Home Depot Canada is the Canadian unit of Home Depot NYSE: HD and one of Canada's top home improvement retailers. A vociferous critic of the New Deal, Robert Taft was a Republican leader in the Senate from 1939-1953. The Home Depot is also the primary sponsor of NASCAR driver Tony Stewart. Taft I, was elected to the United States Senate. Company owner Blank also purchased the Atlanta Falcons franchise of the National Football League in February 2002. The former president's oldest son, Robert A. Since 1991, the company has become a large supporter of athletics, sponsoring the United States and Canadian Olympic teams, and launching a program to offer employment to athletes that fully allowed for their training and competition schedules. A third generation of the Taft family entered the national political stage in 1938. . Kennedy) and one of four chief justices buried at Arlington (the others being Earl Warren, Warren Burger, and William Rehnquist). [1]. He is one of two presidents (the other being John F. Given his past tangles with the NYSE, his intentions have been called into question. His wife, Helen, was reported to have said that his service as Secretary of War was what qualified him for burial there while, in fact, anyone who serves as president and thus Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces is entitled to burial at Arlington. Now Langone is teaming up with a group of NYSE seat holders as well as some Wall Street executives to come up with their own buyout offer for the exchange. Three days later, on March 11, he became the first American president to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Kenneth Langone, former director of the New York Stock Exchange, Home Depot's lead director and the investor who had given Marcus and Blank the seed money to launch their first stores in Atlanta. During the last summer of his life, Taft weighed about 244 pounds, one pound more than his average weight in college. As with other large retailers, there is also criticism that they are driving older, smaller businesses out through predatory pricing and other tactics. He died 33 days later on Saturday March 8. The Home Depot has come under criticism from some environmental groups for selling old-growth rainforest lumber, including lauan, mahogany and other woods. Taft retired as chief justice on February 3, 1930, due to ill health. The Home Depot also owns a chain of higher-end home decorating and appliance stores, EXPO Design Center, as well as a number of specialist Home Depot stores. In an effort to make the Court work more efficiently, he advocated passage of the 1925 Judges Act enabling the Supreme Court to give precedence to cases of national importance. companies in 2005. He was also the first chief justice without any prior high court experience. It was ranked #13 on FORTUNE magazine's FORTUNE 500 list of U.S. He gave the oath of office to both Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover. Its 2004 sales totaled US$73.1 billion. He was the only President to do so, and thus the only former president to swear in future presidents. The Home Depot is the second-largest retail company based in the United States, behind Wal-Mart. From 1921 until 1930, Taft served on the Supreme Court as Chief Justice of the United States. Today, The Home Depot is headquartered in Vinings in Cobb County, Georgia. Perhaps as a result, 4 of Taft's appointments were men of relative youth and vigor at 48, 51, 53 and 54. The Home Depot employs over 325,000 people. Taft's unusual opportunity to make 5 appointments in the single Court term of 1910-1911 came largely from the sickly composition of the Court in 1909; the youngest justice Moody was so ill as to leave the bench in the middle of the 1909 term and never return, and the four justices over 70 were in various stages of decline with three dying before the 1910 term. The company was founded in 1978 in Atlanta, Georgia by Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank, and grew rapidly, with sales topping $1 billion annually by 1986. Notably, Taft's 6 appointments to the Court rank third only to those of Washington and FDR, with his appointment of 5 new justices tied with Jackson and Lincoln. The company color is a bright orange, on signs, equipment and employee aprons. Taft appointed the following Justices to the Supreme Court of the United States:. Home Depot stores are large, averaging 109,000 ft² (10,000 m²) and warehouse-style, stocking a large range of supplies. Undoubtedly, this weight loss saved his life. The Home Depot is the largest home improvement retailer in the world and the third largest retailer overall after Wal-Mart and the French company Carrefour. His hypersomnolence resolved and, less obviously, his systolic blood pressure dropped 40 to 50 mmHg (from 210 mmHg). The Home Depot operates stores in the United States (including the 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands), Canada, and Mexico. Within a year of leaving the Presidency Taft lost approximately 70 pounds (32 kg), dropping his weight from 335 pounds to 264 pounds. The company operates about 1,900 stores across North America. His legendary tendency to fall asleep in almost any circumstance, an open secret and source of embarassment for his intimates, is now understood to have been the most obvious manifestation of the disease. The Home Depot NYSE: HD is a home improvement retailer that aims for both the do-it-yourself consumer and the professional in home improvement construction. Evidence from eyewitnesses and from Taft himself strongly suggests he had severe obstructive sleep apnea during his Presidential term of office, a consequence of his 300 to 340 pound (136 to 159 kg) weight. Roosevelt's Bull Moose candidacy split the Republican vote and helped elect Democrat Woodrow Wilson. "Bull Moose") and selected Theodore Roosevelt to run against Taft in the general election. When Taft won the Republican nomination, the Progressives organized a rival party (the United States Progressive Party, a.k.a. Progressive Republicans openly challenged Taft in the Congressional elections of 1910 and in the Republican presidential primaries of 1912. By 1910 Taft's party was divided. Yet balanced against these achievements was Taft's acceptance of a tariff with protective schedules that outraged liberal opinion; his opposition to the entry of the state of Arizona into the Union because of its liberal constitution; and his growing reliance on the conservative wing of his party. He also signed legislation that created the United States Department of Labor. The 16th Amendment authorized a federal income tax; the 17th Amendment, ratified in 1913, mandated the direct election of senators by the people, replacing the system whereby they were selected by state legislatures. Taft fought for prosecution of trusts, further strengthened the Interstate Commerce Commission, established a postal savings bank and a parcel post system, expanded the civil service and sponsored the enactment of two amendments to the Constitution. Throughout his presidency, Taft contended with dissent from more liberal members of the Republican Party, many of whom continued to follow the lead of former President Roosevelt. With Roosevelt's help, Taft handily defeated Democrat William Jennings Bryan. Instead, he promoted Taft as the next Republican president. After serving nearly two full terms, the popular Theodore Roosevelt refused to run in the election of 1908. In 1903, Theodore Roosevelt named Taft as Secretary of War, and he returned to the United States. From 1901 to 1903, Taft served as the first civilian Governor-General of the Philippines. In 1900, President William McKinley appointed Taft as the chairman of a commission to organize a civilian government in the Philippines, which had been ceded to the United States by Spain following the Spanish-American War and the 1898 Treaty of Paris. Circuit Court of Appeals, a post which he held until 1900. In 1892, Taft was appointed by President Benjamin Harrison as an associate judge for the newly created Sixth U.S. After college, he attended Cincinnati Law School and began his political career in Ohio shortly after joining the bar in 1880. He was also a member of the Beta chapter of the Psi Upsilon fraternal organization. Like his father, the younger Taft went to college at Yale University, where he was a member of Skull and Bones, the secret society co-founded by his father. Grant. His mother was Mount Holyoke graduate Louisa Torrey; his father was Alphonso Taft, a prominent Republican, who served as Secretary of War under President Ulysses S. Taft was born on September 15, 1857, in Cincinnati, Ohio. . Supreme Court. Taft later became Chief Justice, becoming the only president to serve on the U.S. In the 1912 election, Taft lost his bid for a second term; Roosevelt ran on his newly formed Progressive Party ("Bull Moose") ticket, splitting the Republican vote and resulting in the election of Woodrow Wilson. Taft later broke off contact with Roosevelt in one of the most well-publicized political feuds of the 20th century. Taft was the first president to occupy the Oval Office when it was opened in October 1909. Two constitutional amendments were passed during his term: the 16th Amendment, authorizing a federal income tax, and the 17th Amendment, mandating the direct election of senators by the people instead of by the state legislatures (see below). Taft defeated Democrat William Jennings Bryan in the presidential election, and during his presidency prosecuted the trusts, strengthened the Interstate Commerce Commission, expanded the civil service, and established a better postal system. Circuit Court of Appeals, and Governor-General of the Philippines before being nominated for president in the 1908 Republican National Convention with the backing of his predecessor and close friend Theodore Roosevelt. A Republican, Taft served as Secretary of War, federal judge for the Sixth U.S. William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857 – March 8, 1930) was an American politician, jurist, and the 27th President of the United States, serving a single term from 1909 to 1913. Dollar Diplomacy. History of the United States (1865-1918). presidential election, 1912. U.S. presidential election, 1908. U.S. Taft family. Taft was listed as a university professor living in New Haven, Connecticut. Federal Population Census, William H. In the 1920 U.S. It is one of the busiest streets in the city and one of 2 majors streets that the Light Rail Transit (LRT) passes through. In Manila, Philippines, an avenue was named after him, Taft Avenue. This may have led to his disdain for the word "pudgy." In fact, it was said that an aide blacked out "pudgy" from his morning newspaper. There is some evidence that his mother started calling him "my pudgy-wudgy boy" before his fifth birthday. At 6 feet, and weighing over 350 pounds (159 kg) , Taft was the largest and heaviest President. Taft was overweight, to the point that he became stuck in the bathtub in the White House several times, prompting the installation of a new bathtub capable of holding all of the men who installed it. Arizona – February 14, 1912. New Mexico – January 6, 1912. Mahlon Pitney - 1912. Joseph Rucker Lamar - 1911. Willis Van Devanter - 1911. Taft himself would succeed White as Chief Justice.). Edward Douglass White - Chief Justice - 1910 (Already on the Court as Associate Justice since 1894, and the first Chief Justice to be elevated from Associate, although Chief Justice John Rutledge had previously served as an associate justice. Charles Evans Hughes - 1910. Horace Harmon Lurton - 1910. |