William Howard Taft was born into a well-to-do Ohio family. As a boy, he attended public school in Cincinnati. In 1878, he graduated from Yale University. He studied law at the University of Cincinnati. Taft joined the Ohio bar in 1880. In 1881, he became an assistant prosecutor in Hamilton County, Ohio. President CHESTER ARTHUR appointed him internal revenue collector of Ohio in 1882.
In 1883, Taft formed a private law partnership. He practiced law in Cincinnati. In 1890, President BENJAMIN HARRISON appointed him U.S. solicitor general. In that role, Taft argued cases before the Supreme Court on behalf of the United States. The next year he became a federal judge. Three years later, he became dean of the University of Cincinnati Law School.
In 1900, President WILLIAM MCKINLEY appointed Taft commissioner of the Philippines. He was responsible for phasing out U.S. military rule in the Philippines. The next year, McKinley made him governor-general of the Philippines. Taft helped the Filipino government write a new charter and abolish slavery. He also helped reform the legal system and establish a public school system in the Philippines.
When Taft returned to the United States in 1904, THEODORE ROOSEVELT was president. Roosevelt appointed him secretary of war. Later, he made Taft acting secretary of state. He also named him provisional governor of Cuba . Taft had always wanted to serve on the Supreme Court. Roosevelt offered to appoint him to the court three times. Taft always declined.
In 1907, President Roosevelt supported Taft for president. (Roosevelt wanted a loyal successor who would carry out his policies. Taft had always been dependable.) In 1908, Taft was elected president in a landslide victory. For the next four years, he presided over the nation. His administration was competent. But it was conservative and dull. In 1912, Roosevelt challenged Taft for the Republican presidential nomination. Taft was renominated. But WOODROW WILSON was elected president.
Once out of the White House, Taft returned to the practice of law. In 1913, he accepted a job teaching law at Yale University. He also remained active in politics. He campaigned for Republican candidates. He campaigned for Prohibition. After World War I, Taft supported U.S. membership in the League of Nations. Most Republicans opposed it.
In 1921, the former president realized his lifelong ambition. President WARREN HARDING appointed him chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Taft remained on the court for nine years. He worked hard at his job. He wrote more than 250 opinions. In 1930, Taft's ill health forced him to resign from the court. He died in Washington, D.C. in 1930. William Howard Taft is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.
