Who is william taft

In early , President William McKinley called Taft to Washington and tasked him with setting up a civilian government in the Philippines, which had become a U. Though hesitant, Taft accepted the post of chairman of the Second Philippine Commission with the knowledge that it would position him well to advance further in national government.

Beginning with the drafting of a new constitution including a Bill of Rights similar to that of the United States and the creation of the post of civilian governor he became the first , Taft improved the island economy and infrastructure and allowed the people at least some voice in government.

Though sympathetic to the Filipino people and popular among them, he believed they needed considerable guidance and instruction before they could be capable of self-rule, and predicted a long period of U.

After McKinley was assassinated in , President Theodore Roosevelt twice offered Taft a Supreme Court appointment, but he declined in order to stay in the Philippines. Taft traveled extensively during his four years in this post, including overseeing the construction of the Panama Canal and serving as provisional governor of Cuba.

Roosevelt, who had pledged not to run for a third term in office, began promoting Taft as his successor. Though he disliked campaigning, Taft agreed to mount a presidential run in at the urging of his wife, and soundly defeated Democrat William Jennings Bryan by pledging to continue the Rooseveltian program of progressive reforms.

Always heavy, Taft weighed as much as pounds at times during his presidency. By , Roosevelt was so incensed with Taft and the conservative Republicans that he chose to break from the party and form his own Progressive Party also known as the Bull Moose Party.

He wrote some decisions, most reflecting his conservative ideology. Taft remained chief justice until shortly before his death, on March 8, , from complications of heart disease.

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William McKinley served in the U. Congress and as governor of Ohio before running for the presidency in As a longtime champion of protective tariffs, the Republican McKinley ran on a platform of promoting American prosperity and won a landslide victory over Democrat Helen Taft was an American first lady and the wife of William Howard Taft, 27th president of the United States and later chief justice of the U.

Main navigation Administration Key Events. We shall enter into any war with a full consciousness of the awful consequences that it always entails,…and we, of course, shall make every effort consistent with national honor and the highest national interest to avoid a resort to arms.

Inaugural Address. Birth Date September 15, Death Date March 8, Marriage June 19, , to Helen Herron — Inauguration Date March 4, Date Ended March 4, President Number Featured Insights. He foresaw a long period of U. The Philippines did not achieve self-rule and independence until Had it not been for the opportunity to become Roosevelt's secretary of war, Nellie Taft would have urged her husband to stay in the Philippines. Taft accepted Roosevelt's offer because he believed that as secretary of war he would continue to oversee affairs in the Islands.

During his four years as secretary of war , Taft became Roosevelt's chief agent, confidant, and troubleshooter in foreign affairs. He supervised the construction of the Panama Canal, made several voyages around the world for the President, supervised affairs in the Philippines, and functioned as the provisional governor of Cuba.

He traveled more than any other cabinet minister, with over days of his four years spent abroad on special missions. He was gone so often that the press began questioning his huge travel expenses—partly because he almost always took Nellie and at least one or two of his children along.

Concerned about the public's opinion, Roosevelt asked Taft to have the voyages funded by Taft's wealthy brother, Charles, who already was underwriting much of Taft's living expenses in Washington, D. Always eager to help his brother, Charles Taft assumed the lion's share of William's travel expenses. Grant Rutherford B. Hayes James A. Garfield Chester A.

Roosevelt Harry S. Truman Dwight D. Eisenhower John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Bush Bill Clinton George W. Help inform the discussion Support the Miller Center.

University of Virginia Miller Center. William Taft: Life Before the Presidency. Breadcrumb U. Living Up to High Expectations Taft was raised in a large, close, and stimulating family.

Secretary of War Had it not been for the opportunity to become Roosevelt's secretary of war, Nellie Taft would have urged her husband to stay in the Philippines. Peri E. William Taft Essays Life in Brief. Life Before the Presidency Current Essay. Campaigns and Elections. Domestic Affairs.

Foreign Affairs. Life After the Presidency. Family Life.