William Howard Taft

William Howard Taft
27th President of the United States
In office March 4, 1909 – March 3, 1913
Vice President	James S. Sherman
Preceded by	Theodore Roosevelt
Succeeded by	Woodrow Wilson
10th Chief Justice of the United States
In office July 11, 1921 – February 3, 1930
Preceded by	Edward Douglass White
Succeeded by	Charles Evans Hughes
Personal details
Born	September 15, 1857(1857-09-15) Cincinnati, Ohio,
Died	March 8, 1930(1930-03-08) (aged 72) Washington, D.C.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Helen Herron Taft
Religion	Unitarian

William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857 – March 8, 1930) was the 27th President of the United States from March 4, 1909 to March 3, 1913. He is well known for being the heaviest President in U.S. history, weighing over 350 pounds. He was also six feet tall. Taft was also the only President who also served as a Supreme Court justice.

Political career

Taft served as Solicitor General of the United States, a federal judge, Governor of the Philippines, and Secretary of War before being nominated for President in the 1908 by the man who preceded him, Theodore Roosevelt. As a Republican President, Taft was most notable for trust-busting, in which he broke up large businesses that had too much control over the economy. Taft also expanded civil service, fixed up the United States Postal Service and promoted world peace. Taft also started the tradition of the president pitching the first ball of the baseball season. Early in life, Taft had played baseball. He was a good second baseman and could hit with power

1912 Election

In 1912, Theodore Roosevelt came back into politics and ran for President against William Howard Taft. Many Republicans split their votes between Taft and Roosevelt, and the Democratic opponent Woodrow Wilson won the election.

After the presidency

In 1921, Taft became the 10th Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, the only President to do so. He retired from the job on February 3, 1930 due to bad health.

Bathtub

Taft was the most obese president. He was 5 feet, 11.5 inches tall; his weight was at 335–340 pounds toward the end of his Presidency. He had difficulty getting out of the White House bathtub. He had a 7-foot (2.1 m) long, 41-inch (1.04 m) wide tub installed. This tub could accommodate four normal-sized men. It was replaced in 1952 with a modern tub of similar size.

Death

Taft died on March 8, 1930 due to heart failure. Three days later, he became the first president to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Other websites

• Taft's White House biography