William Taft – 27

William Taft was the 27th President of the United States of America. He remained the President from 1909 to 1913.

During his Presidential term, New Mexico and Arizona were admitted as new states to USA, bringing the total number of states to 48.

He also famously served as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court after his Presidency.

When and where was he born?

William Taft was born on September 15, 1857 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Early Life

William Taft was born into a family with a political background. His father had been appointed Attorney General during the Presidency of Ulysses S. Grant and also served as the Secretary of War.

Taft received formal education at an early age and went on to study at the Yale University from where he graduated in 1878.

He then decided to become a lawyer. So he passed the bar exam after studying law and started practicing in 1880.

He also had an interest in joining the public service. So he pursued this interest and served the American government in many different positions. These positions included as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals and as a Solicitor General.

Life in Politics

William Taft was more interested in public service, especially in judiciary. But during the reign of President McKinley, he was asked to form a government in Philippines which had recently come under the control of USA. So Taft was appointed the governor of the Philippines and this began his political career.

During the term of President Theodore Roosevelt, Taft was appointed as the Secretary of War. In this position, he was directly assigned the responsibility of keeping an eye on the development of the famous Panama Canal.

By the time Roosevelt’s second Presidential term came to an end, Taft had proved a very good Secretary of War. So Roosevelt recommended him as the next President. Although Taft was reluctant, he decided to run for the office and won the election.

Life as the President

As the President, William Taft took many actions against corruption as well as the major monopolies and trusts. He also implemented many reforms which were meant to improve the life of the average Americans.

These include the launching of a new parcel post service which helped moved cargo from one place to another with greater speed. Another major achievement of his Presidency was the establishment of the Department of Labor. This department was created to safeguard the rights of the American workers.

Although many of his reforms genuinely helped the country, some of his policies were quite unpopular. So when he ran for a second term in the office, he lost the election.

Later Life and Death

William Taft went on to teach at the Yale University after his Presidency ended. In 1921, his dearest dream came true when he was appointed the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court during the Presidency of Warren G. Harding. He remained at this post for nearly the rest of his life. He died on March 8, 1930 in Washington D.C.

Learn More about American President William Howard Taft at Wikipedia