William Howard Taft
(March 4, 1909 to March 3, 1913)

Born: September 15, 1857
Died: March 8, 1930

Political Party: Republican
Previous Occupation: Lawyer, public official

Elected From: Ohio
Vice President: James S. Sherman (1909-12)
Cabinet Members: view list

Other Government Positions:
· Judge in Ohio Superior Court, 1887-90
· U.S. Solicitor General, 1890-92
· U.S. Circuit Court Judge, 1892-1900
· Governor of the Philippines, 1901-04
· Secretary of War, 1904-08 (under T. Roosevelt)
· Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, 1921-30

Inaugural Address: 1909
Biography: view

Presidential Highlights:
· Approved the Payne-Aldrich bill (increased duties on most imported goods). This made him unpopular in the South and Midwest.

· Authorized the Bureau of Mines to supervise the nations mineral resources. Approved the federal purchase of timberlands in Appalachia.

· Filed 75 antitrust law suites (including a suit against the U.S. Steel Corporation).

· Reorganized the State Department, dividing Commerce and Labor into separate executive departments.

Presidential Election:
1908
William H. Taft321
William J. Bryan162


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