Back Up Next

 

William 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:

Year

 

Popular Votes

Electoral Votes

1908

William H. Taft

7,676,320

321

 

William J. Bryan

6,412,294

162

1912

tiny U.S. flag Woodrow Wilson

6,296,547

435

 

tiny U.S. flag Theodore Roosevelt

4,118,571

88

 

William H. Taft

3,486,720

8

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)

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 Table of Presidents and Vice Presidents of the United States - MSN Encarta

Grolier Online has created this resource from its collection of print articles in Encyclopedia Americana. Contains a full biography, written by Henry F. Pringle, author of The Life and Times of William Howard Taft, along with suggestions for further reading.

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)

RealAudio | MP3 (1,180K)

From the Vincent Voice Library at Michigan State University under the leadership of Dr. Maurice Crane.

Other Internet Resources:

William Howard Taft National Historic Site

The Cincinnati, Ohio birthplace and childhood home of Taft. Tourist information is available.

 

 

Home

William Howard Taft

27th President of the United States
(March 4, 1909 to March 3, 1913)

 

Helen Taft

 

Videos