{"id":18170,"date":"2024-07-11T08:00:27","date_gmt":"2024-07-11T12:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=18170"},"modified":"2024-09-03T19:38:49","modified_gmt":"2024-09-03T23:38:49","slug":"18170","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=18170","title":{"rendered":"#27. Taft, William Howard"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Linda Lou Burton posting from Little Rock, Arkansas \u2013 <\/em>William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857 \u2013 March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States, from 1909 to 1913. That\u2019s one term. Only. Landslide in, landslide out. Now, this doesn\u2019t mean he didn\u2019t do a good job. Actually it was what you\u2019d call a \u201clow-blow\u201d by the very person who pushed him in that took him out. Remember Theodore Roosevelt\u2019s decision in 1908 to serve only two terms? He \u201cgroomed\u201d a certain William Taft to come in and continue his policies. Landslide in for William! Only William began to stick to his own guns after a while, and Theodore decided he wanted back in. The Republicans didn\u2019t want Theodore back, so he started his own party running against his buddy, and that \u201cparty-split\u201d knocked the vote every which way and brought the Democrats back in a wild frenzy! The Democrats laughed, and William laughed too, saying \u201cWell I have one consolation. No ex-president was ever elected by such a \"\"<\/a>large majority!\u201d Then he went ahead with what he really wanted to do all along. He became Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, the only president ever to sit in the Biggest Chair of both the Executive and Judicial branches of government. A later-in-life quote says it all: Presidents come and go, but the Supreme Court goes on forever.<\/em><\/p>\n

William was not a spiteful fellow. He was quiet, thoughtful, and principled. Born into a family that was not particularly wealthy, William was not considered particularly brilliant. But parents Alphonso and Louise Torrey Taft pushed their five sons hard, and William headed off \"\"<\/a>for Yale in 1874. He graduated second in his class, and was a member of the secret society his father Alphonso had organized when he was at Yale known as Skull and Bones.<\/em> (Just look up the membership on that.) Big husky William was a member of the intramural wrestling team while there too, the heavyweight champion in fact. Which seems a good skill for any president to have. Grappling and all.<\/p>\n

After Yale, law school, working at his father\u2019s law office, and admission to the Ohio bar, in 1881 William did a stint as Assistant Prosecutor for Hamilton County, Ohio before finally opening his own private practice. \u00a0And that\u2019s when the Taft story begins to double in interest, because that\u2019s when William married Helen Herron, a feisty, attractive young woman who\u2019d been dreaming about living in the White House since she was seventeen years old. Cupid\u2019s arrow was dipped in politics that would affect the lives of the Tafts for the next 44 years.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s Talk About Helen<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Helen was the fourth of eleven children born to John and Harriet Collins Herron, a \u201cpolitically connected\u201d Cincinnati family. John Herron and Benjamin Harrison were college classmates; Rutherford Hayes was John\u2019s law partner at one time. Harriet was both daughter and sister to US Congressmen. In this large family clamoring with political buzz, Helen did her own thing \u2013smoking and drinking and card playing just like the best of the guys \u2013 while getting a super-duper education at the right girls schools and colleges, where she studied languages and other mind-expanding things that wound up being useful for the rest of her days, as you will see. Helen hung out in her father\u2019s office reading his legal books, and later worked there. But she was frustrated in Cincinnati (too small<\/em>) and frustrated over the lack of opportunities for women (get married or teach<\/em>).<\/p>\n

And then that killer moment! The Herrons were invited to Rutherford Hayes’ 1877 inauguration. In fact, they got to stay IN the White House for several weeks, giving Helen the chance to soak up what it would be like to live there. She set her hat. Helen met William at a sledding party in 1880 when he was 23 and she was 19; their families were acquainted. A few years later when she started up a group for Sunday afternoon get-togethers (strictly intellectual), she invited William and his brother Horace to attend. From there, William began proposing to Helen and she kept refusing. Until she finally agreed. The wedding was \"\"<\/a>June 19, 1886 (they were 29 and 25); the children that came along were son Robert (1889), daughter Helen (1891), and son Charles (1897). As to their career plans \u2013 in truth, both of them got much of what they hoped for. Best of all, they made a good fit. Helen and William liked each other, and respected each other\u2019s ideas and values. It makes for a good story.<\/p>\n

Cincinnati To The World<\/strong><\/p>\n

It took Helen a while to get out of Cincinnati. William relished his law work; he was appointed and then elected as a judge on the Superior Court of Cincinnati; then in 1890 President Harrison appointed him Solicitor General of the United States. In 1896 he became Dean and Professor of Property at Cincinnati Law School. When the move from Cincinnati finally came, it was a biggie! In January 1900, President McKinley asked William to oversee the establishment of a civilian government in the Philippines following its annexation to the United States as a result of the Spanish-American War.<\/p>\n

I won\u2019t go into the pros and cons of what the US government was doing worldwide at this time in history. But the fact is, the United States had kicked the Spanish out of the Philippines (well, there was the 1898 Treaty of Paris and agreements and so on) and there was \u00a0a 700-island archipelago that needed some organizing (or the Spanish will jump right back in, was the line). It was a mess. When asked if he would take the job of overseeing and untangling the mess, William had a stipulation. \u201dI\u2019ll go,\u201d he said, \u201cif you make me head of the commission, with responsibility for its success, or failure.\u201d McKinley agreed, and William sailed for the islands in April. Helen and the children, then 11, 9 and 3, soon followed.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Helen was delighted (I\u2019m guessing ecstatic!). She didn\u2019t know what to expect, but she loved the idea of new places and new faces. And maybe, she thought, it might even move them closer to the White House? It was a step, for sure – when William was made Governor-General on July 4, 1901, and the Tafts moved into the Malaca\u00f1ang Palace in Manila, she became \u201cFirst Lady\u201d of the Philippines.<\/p>\n

William quickly determined that \u201cindependence\u201d was far off for the Filipinos \u2013 they were generally considered inferiors by Americans, and in truth, did not have the means for self-sufficiency as land ownership had not been permitted during \"\"<\/a>the years of Spanish occupation. William, and Helen, set about doing what they could. No racial segregation was allowed at official events. Helen worked to earn the respect of the Filipinos \u2013 she learned to speak their language, wore native dress at functions, and traveled the country meeting people. (She learned how to ride a horse in order to get around!) As to the self-sufficiency issue, since much of the arable land was held by Catholic religious orders, William, believing that Filipino farmers should have a stake in the new government through land ownership, testified about the issue before the Senate. With President Roosevelt\u2019s authorization, he headed for Rome in 1902 to negotiate with Pope Leo XIII to purchase these lands and remove the Catholic priests. He was not successful, though an agreement of sorts was made in 1903. Helen, by the way, accompanied William on that trip. And, met the Pope.<\/p>\n

All The Way To Snow Day<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ll make this fast. William\u2019s next title was Secretary of War (1904, a Roosevelt appointment), which brought the Tafts to Washington, and turned Helen into a \u201ccabinet member\u2019s wife,\u201d (which she regarded as a comedown) but nevertheless, had the Tafts in the middle of Washington politics and social life, in and out of the White House. William and Theodore became friends. As Secretary of War William got another title as Governor when Cuba asked the US for help under terms of a 1903 treaty; he traveled to Cuba with a small American force and declared himself \u201cprovisional governor\u201d for two weeks until the country stabilized.<\/p>\n

William\u2019s third title was President of the United States. Theodore Roosevelt was happy. He had worked hard to line things up for William\u2019s landslide election. And Helen was happy! In a slick trick for an inauguration day, with Theodore leaving for Africa to stay out of the way, Mother Nature sent a blizzard that dropped 10 inches of snow over the city. It took 6,000 city workers shoveling snow into 500 wagons to ready the route, but for the first time ever, a First Lady rode beside her husband in the Inaugural Parade. Mark the date: March 4, 1909.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Four Years In<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bad luck struck early on. In May, just three months after moving in, Helen suffered a stroke which rendered her unable to speak. She was away from the White House for almost a year and never fully recovered. But she did learn to speak again, and came back ready to tackle her White House duties. She had all the Roosevelt trophy heads removed from the White House, completely revamped White House staffing, and, instead of hosting cabinet wives for lunch as her predecessor Edith had done, she sat in on Presidential meetings with the guys, discussing things later with William, who valued her opinion.<\/p>\n

During the first few years, with Theodore away in Africa, William was on his own with decision making. And in time, those decisions strayed further away from what Theodore expected. The split happened. Here\u2019s what that 1912 election looked like in numbers: William got 8 electoral votes, Theodore got 88, and Woodrow Wilson got 425. Is that a slam or what? Helen had done all she could \u2013 she attended both the Republican and Democratic Conventions that year, and even sat on the FRONT ROW of the Democrats to hopefully deter anyone from making bad comments about her husband. Yikes.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

William was right there, up front, on Woodrow\u2019s March 4 inauguration day, as he and Helen \"\"<\/a>left the White House; see him smiling in the photo? And on April 1, 1913, William became Professor of Law and Legal History at Yale, receiving a thunderous reception. During the years they lived in New Haven, Helen wrote and published her memoirs, Recollections of Full Years<\/em>; interestingly most of what she wrote about was her time in the Philippines.<\/p>\n

William kept his eye on the Supreme Court. It was December 1920 when he was asked to come to President-elect Harding\u2019s home to advise him on appointments that William was asked if he would accept appointment to the Supreme Court. William laid out his condition: having appointed two of the present associate justices, he would only accept the Chief Justice position. Harding submitted his name on June 30, 1921 and the Senate confirmed William the same day, 61\u20134, without any committee hearings. Slam in!<\/p>\n

And So It Goes<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The Tafts were back in Washington. Helen was happy about that. And William was right where he wanted to be \u2013 totally immersed in law. I like this story a lot. I like the part about William\u2019s new regime too. He\u2019d always been too fat, (340 at least, way bigger than Grover) but now he walked to work every day \u2013 three miles from home to office, crossing Rock Creek along the way (they\u2019ve named the crossing Taft Bridge, look for it). I\u2019m guessing he whistled on that three-mile walk, he trimmed down to just over 200 pounds.<\/p>\n

As to his work, William gets high marks for his accomplishments on the Court. One comment: \u201cHe was as aggressive in the pursuit of his agenda in the judicial realm as Theodore Roosevelt was in the presidential.\u201d Well there you go \u2013 the score evened and honors enough for everyone.<\/p>\n

William\u2019s failing health was the deciding factor in his retirement; the day he administered the inaugural oath to incoming President Hoover in 1929, his memory failed, he jumbled some of the words. His resignation was submitted with regret February 3, 1930; he died March 8. Helen lived another thirteen years; staying on in Washington, continuing to travel when she could; always interested in politics. I picture her visiting her cherry trees in West Potomac Park every spring, did you know she\u2019s the one who transformed the Park into an esplanade? She was inspired by Luneta Park in Manila and arranged with the Mayor of Tokyo for all those cherry trees.<\/p>\n

William and Helen are buried in Arlington Cemetery; only one other President, and one other First Lady, John and Jackie Kennedy, are buried at Arlington, as most preferred their home state for their final remains. Helen, and William too no doubt, preferred Washington.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Yes, I\u2019d invite these two to a party, but not at my house. We\u2019d go to West Potomac Park, on a warm spring day, with cherry blossoms falling all over our blankets on the ground. I\u2019d invite my Filipino and Japanese friends to come too. Lots to talk about.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Linda Lou Burton posting from Little Rock, Arkansas \u2013 William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857 \u2013 March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States, from 1909 to 1913. That\u2019s one term. Only. Landslide in, landslide out. Now, this doesn\u2019t mean he didn\u2019t do a good job. Actually it was what you\u2019d call […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4031],"tags":[4084,4083],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18170"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18170"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18170\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26782,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18170\/revisions\/26782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}