William Howard Taft

Theodore Roosevelt left office as one of the most popular presidents in American history. His handpicked successor, William Howard Taft, proved to be such a departure that Roosevelt himself challenged Taft's reelection campaign. Lacking the relatability of Roosevelt, Taft's unpopular decisions and refusal to even campaign cost him reelection.  How did this one president veer so hard from expectations? 

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StudySmarter Editorial Team

Team William Howard Taft Teachers

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    A black and white photograph of William Howard Taft StudySmarterFig. 1 - William Howard Taft

    William Howard Taft Biography

    William Howard Taft was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1857. His father, Alphonso Taft, had a distinguished career serving as both Attorney General and Secretary of War. He followed his father into a legal career, graduating from Yale and returning to Cincinnati to practice law.

    Alphonso Taft was a founder of the Skull and Bones Society at Yale, of which William Howard Taft was also a member. Political Career

    Political Career

    In 1887, Taft was given his first judgeship, which began a long career of political appointments. Taft would go on to be appointed to many other positions including Solicitor General, Federal Judge, Governor of the Philippines, and finally, Secretary of War under Teddy Roosevelt. Something that would mark his career is that none of these positions were elected, so before the presidency he had never campaigned for office. His interest had always been in the law and his desire to was to lead the Supreme Court, yet he turned down Supreme Court nominations in favor of political positions.

    With a military background himself, Roosevelt primarily took control of the military and leaned into Taft's interest in the law by primarily using him as a legal advisor on military matters.

    A color photograph of a William Howard Taft 1908 presidential campaign button StudySmarterFig. 2 - 1908 Taft Campaign Button

    William Howard Taft Political Party

    William Howard Taft was a member of the Republican Party. With Theodore Roosevelt having made the promise to continue George Washington's tradition of not seeking a third term, he looked to Taft as his heir. Roosevelt's popularity and control over the party allowed him to successfully push for Taft's nomination as the Republican presidential candidate in the 1908 election. Taft was very uncomfortable with campaigning but the popularity of Roosevelt and the fact that the Progressive wing of the Republican Party had begun to blur the lines between the two parties pushed him to victory over Democrat William Jennings Bryan.

    While Howard had never campaigned before, Bryan was an experienced campaigner making his third run at the Presidency. The overwhelming force of personality that was Theodore Roosevelt proved to be enough to make up the difference.

    William Howard Taft as President

    As President, Taft was not the continuation of Roosevelt that had been expected. The main difference between the men was fundamental. Roosevelt was a strong personality that sought any method to accomplish his goals, Taft was more of a legal scholar who sought to work within the confines of established legal precedent. Roosevelt had pushed the limits of presidential powers, while Taft had a much more conservative view of the role.

    A political cartoon critcizing President William Howard Taft StudySmarterFig. 3 - Taft Political Cartoon

    William Howard Taft Domestic Policy

    Conservation, civil liberties, and corporate regulation were three major issues that came up in Taft's domestic agenda. In some ways, such as Corporate Regulation, Taft continued the general goals of the Roosevelt administration but along a tighter legal framework. In other areas, such as civil rights, Taft controversially reversed Roosevelt era positions.

    Civil Liberties

    Roosevelt had stood behind appointments of Black Americans to federal positions, such as postmaster. The Republican Party had long played an active role in fighting for racial equality, from abolition through reconstruction. White Americans in areas of the South with high racial tensions had resented these appointments and did not wish to recognize these officeholders. Right from his inaugural address, Taft stated that he would not follow Roosevelt's position. He removed many Black Americans from positions and appointed very few to new positions, even in the North.

    Conservation

    A huge scandal erupted in the Taft administration around the issue of conversation, which had been a major part of the Roosevelt administration. Conservation was a cause a Taft generally supported but he did not believe in making the executive actions on the issue that Roosevelt had. Taft replaced Roosevelt's Secretary of the Interior, James Garfield, with Richard Ballinger, who approved a mining claim on land the Roosevelt administration had declared protected. A government agent who investigated the claim made public that Ballinger had once acted as the lawyer of the claimant, creating a conflict of interest. When chief forester, Gifford Pinchot, complained about the matter to a senator he was fired by Taft. As a result, Congress investigated and while Ballinger was cleared, the administration had to make embarrassing admissions about putting false dates on reports related to the matter.

    Pinchot was a close personal friend of Roosevelt, who's firing greatly angered the ex-president.

    Corporate Regulation

    Corporate Regulation was an area that saw some of the greatest continuity of action between Roosevelt and Taft. Taft actually increased the amount of anti-trust suits brought from 40 in the 8 years of Roosevelt to 70 in the 4 years of Taft. During his administration, Roosevelt had supported a merger of several companies under US Steel, which Taft had supported at the time. During the Taft administration, the justice department claimed that Roosevelt had allowed the company to become a monopoly, after being tricked by industrialists. The accusation was one of many occurrences during the Taft administration that offended Roosevelt.

    Taft had not seen the charges against Roosevelt before they were made.

    A political cartoon about President William Howard Taft and Asia StudySmarterFig. 4 - Taft Asia Political Cartoon

    William Howard Taft Foreign Policy

    In the area of foreign policy, Taft advocated what he called "dollar diplomacy" where the United States would seek international stability through investments instead of wars. With a belief that the United States should stay out of European conflicts, Taft focused on defending the Panama Canal and expansion of relations with Latin America and Asia. He sent US Troops to engage in an occupation of unstable Nicaragua, home to many US investments, which lasted long after his administration. His foreign policy actions did not meet its goals as Latin American countries generally resented US interference and despite large investments, trade with China actually fell during the period.

    William Howard Taft Tariffs

    Making changes to the existing tariffs had been part of the Republican platform which Taft had been elected to enact. The House of Representatives passed a bill lowering tariffs, which was supported by progressives. In the Senate amendments were made to the bill, significantly raising tariffs. When Taft refused to intervene, he again found himself opposed by progressives. Taft again failed to reduce tariffs when a bill to create free trade with Canada was not approved by the Canadian parliament.

    Although the progressive wing pushed for lower tariffs, high tariffs and protectionism had long been the position of the Republican Party.

    1912 William Howard Taft presidential campaign post card StudySmarterFig. 5 - 1912 Taft Postcard

    William Howard Taft Progressive Era

    Theodore Roosevelt had been the leader of the progressive wing of the Republican Party. Roosevelt was outraged not just by Taft's turning away from some of his progressive reforms but what he viewed as personal slights such as the firing of Pinchot and attacks on Roosevelt in the US Steel anti-trust case. When he decided to run for a third term, Roosevelt won the primaries in a landslide. The party establishment and Republican political machine however still nominated Taft at the Republican convention, despite his massive loss in the public primaries. Roosevelt and his supporters left the party to form the Progressive Party and launch a third-party bid.

    Election of 1912

    Taft had felt that Roosevelt had grown too radical but in taking the nomination Taft had only managed to split the Republican Party. The Election of 1912 was not decided on if the country wanted to move in a progressive direction but how far it would go. Taft did not actively campaign and received little monetary support as few believed he would be reelected. The split of the Republican Party delivered the election to Democrat Woodrow Wilson in 1912 who was not a conservative like Taft but not as radical as Roosevelt or Socialist Party candidate, Eugene Debs.

    In the states of California and South Dakota Taft did not even appear on the ballot.

    William Howard Taft Later Life

    Out of office, Taft went to academia. From 1913 until 1921 he returned to his alma mater and became a professor at Yale. In 1921, he finally achieved the position he had most desired, Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court. He held the position until his death in 1930.

    William Howard Taft - Key takeaways

    • Taft had a successful career of political appointments
    • Taft was chosen by the popular President Theodore Roosevelt as his successor for a successful run for President in 1908
    • His choices in office were viewed as too conservative and a betrayal by Roosevelt and his supporters
    • Taft's renomination was challenged by Roosevelt, who formed a third party to challenge Taft
    • Taft did little campaigning for reelection and was considered unlikely to win
    • After losing the reelection, Taft became a law professor and later Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court.
    Frequently Asked Questions about William Howard Taft

    What was William Howard Taft known for?

    William Howard Taft is known for the perception that he abandoned the Progressive principles of his predecessor Theodore Roosevelt.  

    Who is William Howard Taft?

    William Howard Taft was a President of the United States and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. 

    What party was William Howard Taft?

    William Howard Taft was a Republican.

    When was William Howard Taft born?

    William Howard Taft was born in 1857.

    What was William Howard Taft's biggest accomplishment?

    William Howard Taft isnt well known for a single accomplishment but his adminsitration did bring many anti-trust cases and Taft achieved his life long dream of becoming Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court.

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    Test your knowledge with multiple choice flashcards

    What was the last political position held by William Howard Taft?

    William Howard Taft was reelected in 1912 

    Who named William Howard Taft as their successor?

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