William Howard Taft (1857-1930) was the 27th President of the United States, serving from 1909 to 1913. He was the only person to have served as both President and Chief Justice of the United States. Prior to his presidency, Taft served as the Governor-General of the Philippines, Secretary of War, and Solicitor General of the United States. Taft was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Alphonso Taft and Louise Torrey. He attended Yale University, where he was a member of the Skull and Bones secret society, and graduated second in his class in 1878. He then attended Cincinnati Law School, where he graduated first in his class in 1880. Taft began his political career in 1882, when he was appointed a judge on the Ohio Superior Court. He was later appointed Solicitor General of the United States in 1890, and in 1900, he was appointed Secretary of War by President William McKinley. In 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Taft Governor-General of the Philippines. In 1908, Taft was elected President of the United States. During his presidency, he focused on trust-busting, tariff reform, and conservation. He also appointed a number of progressive judges to the Supreme Court. After leaving office in 1913, Taft returned to teaching at Yale Law School and was appointed Chief Justice of the United States in 1921. Taft died in 1930 at the age of 72. He is remembered as a progressive president who sought to reform the government and promote conservation.
1 works on Textopian