William Howard Taft

William Howard Taft, the 27th President of the United States, was born on June 15, 1857.

William Howard Taft was born on September 15, 1857 in Cincinnati, Ohio to Alphonso Taft and Louise Torrey Taft.

William H. Taft graduated as salutatorian from Woodward High School in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1874.

In 1886, William Howard Taft married Helen Herron, also known as Nellie. Their marriage marked a significant personal milestone in Taft's life.

Following his appointment to head the commission overseeing the Philippines Territory, Taft left his federal judgeship to assume the role of Governor-General. This move further solidified his involvement in national politics and governance.

President William McKinley was assassinated, leading to Vice President Roosevelt assuming the presidency and impacting the nomination of Taft for the Supreme Court.

On November 3, 1908, William Howard Taft won the presidential election, defeating William Jennings Bryan. This event marked Taft's victory and his election as the President of the United States.

William Howard Taft was elected as the 27th President of the United States after winning the Presidential election in 1908, defeating William Jennings Bryan. He was hand-picked by Theodore Roosevelt as his successor.

On March 4, 1909, William Howard Taft was inaugurated as the 27th President of the United States, serving until March 4, 1913.

In his inaugural address, President Taft emphasized policy areas including regulation of corporations, tariff reform, strengthening the army and navy, currency laws, Panama Canal, labor legislation, and legislation regarding the admission of Asiatic immigrants. He also advocated for laws excluding both negroes and white individuals without education or other necessary qualifications from voting, while expressing approval for the industrial education of the negro population.

On June 16, 1909, Taft delivers a message to Congress proposing a two-percent tax on the net income of all corporations except banks, which he believes will make up for revenue lost by tariff reductions. He also proposes that Congress adopt a constitutional amendment that would permit the collection of personal federal income taxes.

On September 25, 1909, William Howard Taft established the Natural Bridges National Monument in Utah by proclamation.

Louis Glavis accuses Secretary of the Interior Richard Ballinger of conspiring to defraud the public domain in the Alaskan coal fields, implicating the Taft administration in Ballinger's alleged wrongdoing.

The dispatch of warships to Nicaragua by the Taft administration signifies the increasing involvement of the United States in the region's affairs.

President Taft sends two U.S. warships to Nicaragua in response to the deaths of 500 revolutionaries and two American advisors at the hands of Nicaragua dictator José Santos Zelaya. The threat of American force leads to Zelaya's retirement on December 16.

President Taft discusses the administration’s approval of colonization efforts in Africa, the first presidential meeting in Mexico with Porfirio Díaz, and the protection of American enterprise in foreign nations. He also focuses on creating more specialized and region divisions within the State Department, plans for civil service reform, enhancing government efficiency, and efforts to admit Arizona and New Mexico as states.

President Taft dismisses Gifford Pinchot, the head of the United States Forest Services, after Pinchot advocated for his employees involved in the Glavis case. Pinchot was a prominent conservationist and a well-known federal official.

President Taft fires Gifford Pinchot, the head of US Forest Services, due to a disagreement over the 'Ballinger Affair.' This action further divides the Republican Party between Taft and Roosevelt.

President Taft reviews the key promises of the 1908 Republican Platform and describes their implementation during the Lincoln Birthday Banquet.

President Taft appoints Governor Charles E. Hughes of New York to the Supreme Court.

At the direction of President Taft, Attorney General Wickersham obtains an injunction from United States District Judge David P. Dyer to prevent Western Railroads from raising freight rates.

President Taft signs the Mann-Elkin Act (36 Stat 539) which expands the scope of the Interstate Commerce Commission to incorporate regulation of interstate oil pipelines, telegraph, telephone, radio, and cable companies. It also creates a 'commerce court' to consider all cases relating to enforcement action of the Interstate Commerce Commission.

President Taft signs the conservation bill (36 Stat 933) providing funding for the construction, repair, and preservation of certain public works on rivers and harbors, and for other purposes. In his Message, he complains that the amounts appropriated are inadequate.

President Taft orders the mobilization of 20,000 American soldiers along the Mexican border in response to concerns raised by the American ambassador to Mexico about the safety of Americans living in Mexico.

President Taft signs the Canadian Tariff Reciprocity Agreement.

Senate Joint Resolution 57 (37 Stat 39) was signed, admitting New Mexico and Arizona as states, conditional on Arizona voters adopting a constitutional amendment removing the provision objected to by Taft in his veto message.

President Taft signs general arbitration treaties with France and England. There is opposition to the treaties led by Roosevelt and Senator Henry Cabot Lodge.

Taft vetoed 'An act to reduce the duties on manufactures of cotton', citing the lack of systematic investigation of the effects of the changes and the absence of explanations for some changes. The veto went unchallenged.

President Taft vetoes tariff reductions on wool and woolen goods, citing incomplete investigation by the Tariff Board.

In October 1911, President Taft files a lawsuit against U.S. Steel for violating the Sherman Antitrust Act. He alleges that Roosevelt's decision in 1907 to allow U.S. Steel to acquire the Tennessee Coal and Iron Company was a mistake, leading to irreparable damage in the relationship between Taft and Roosevelt.

Taft predicts defeat for the Republicans in 1912 during his remarks to the Hamilton Club of Chicago. This prediction is widely noted in newspapers.

President Taft appoints Julia Lathrop as the head of the newly-created Children's Bureau, making her the highest ranking woman in the U.S. government.

Taft wins the Republican presidential nomination over Theodore Roosevelt, featuring a thorough discussion within the Republican Party on the issue of government regulation.

Amid controversy over convention delegates claimed by Theodore Roosevelt, President Taft is nominated on the first ballot. Roosevelt is not formally put in nomination.

President Taft vetoed the Webb-Kenyon Interstate Liquor Act, stating that it violated the interstate commerce clause of the Constitution. However, the veto was overridden in the Senate on February 28, 1913, and in the House on March 1, 1913, making it the only Taft veto to be overridden.

President Taft signed an Act to create a Department of Labor, splitting the Department of Labor and Commerce into two departments, each with cabinet status.

William Howard Taft was appointed as the 10th chief justice of the United States on July 11, 1921, and served in this role until his death in 1930. His tenure as chief justice had a significant impact on the U.S. legal system.

Taft upheld the power of the federal government to regulate interstate commerce in the case of Stafford v. Wallace in 1922.

In 1926, Taft endorsed the power of the president to fire members of the executive branch in the case of Myers v. United States.

William Howard Taft retired from the court on February 3, 1930, due to failing health.

William Howard Taft, the 27th President of the United States and the 10th Chief Justice of the United States, passed away in Washington, D.C. on March 8, 1930.