William Howard Taft: The Travails of a Progressive Conservative

The only man to serve as president and chief justice, who approached every decision in constitutional terms,
defending the Founders’ vision against new populist threats to American democracy

A Review of 1 Term Presidents

In 1904 TR vows not to run for re-election after his second term. He hand picks his successor William Howard Taft who wins easily in 1908. “Some people felt that TAFT stood for Takes Advice From Teddy

William Howard Taft   (1857 - 1930)

1892-1900 - US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
 

1901-1903 -  Governor-General of the Philippines

1904-1908  - Secretary of War

1906 - Provisional Governor of Cuba

1909-1913 - President of the United States

1921-1930 Chief Justice of the United States

More Trust-Busting!!

After these unsuccessful attempts at diplomacy, Taft devoted himself to domestic matters, making trust-busting his top priority.

Amazingly, he filed 90 lawsuits against monopolistic trusts in just four years—more than twice as many as Roosevelt had filed in a little less than eight years.

In 1911, the Supreme Court finally used the previously neglected Sherman Anti-Trust Act to dissolve John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company for “unreasonably” stifling its competition. Later that year, Taft famously filed a lawsuit against J.P. Morgan’s U.S. Steel Corporation.

The lawsuit infuriated Taft’s predecessor and political ally Theodore Roosevelt, who had helped form the company back in 1901.

Why was Taft a one term President?

Mis-step #1 Taft alienated many liberal Republicans who later formed the Progressive Party, by defending the Payne-Aldrich Act which unexpectedly continued high tariff rates.

Mis-step #2 Taft  further antagonized progressives by upholding his secretary of the interior Ballinger  decision to fire Gifford Pincot ( The Ballinger-Pinchot Affair) , accused of failing to carry out [former President Theodore] Roosevelt's conservation policies

Fast Forward to 21:00

Roosevelt announced in early 1910 that his “hat was in the ring.”  Taft proved a rugged political campaigner, using patronage and conservative favors to secure the Republican nomination.  This set the stage for a four-man race after TR founded the Progressive Party (nicknamed the “Bull Moose” Party)

 in early 1912.