William Howard Taft
| 9th Great-Grandparent of Donald D. Erwin | 5th Great-Grandparent of William H. Taft |
|
William Cheney (1603-1667) |
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| Richard Cheney (1634-1660) | Joseph Cheney (1647-1704) |
| William Cheney (1660-1693) | Josiah Cheney (1685-1754) |
| Thomas Cheney (1684-1733) | Elizabeth Cheney (1707-1783) |
| Elizabeth Cheney (1704-1757) | Aaron Taft (1743-1808) |
| Moses Renfro (1728-1824) | Peter Rawson Taft (1785-1867) |
| Mary Renfro (1777-1834) | Alphonso Taft (1810-1891) |
| Mary Neff (1810-1835) | William Howard Taft (1857-1930) |
| Susanna Miller (1832-1894) | |
| Charles Ellis Hayworth (1866-1941) | |
| Hazel Dell Hayworth Erwin (1889-1976) | |
| Donald Dean Erwin (1933-) | |
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States (1909–1913) and later the tenth Chief Justice (1921–1930). He is the only person to have served in both of these offices.
Before becoming President, Taft was selected to serve on the Ohio Superior Court in 1887. In 1890, he was appointed Solicitor General of the United States and in 1891 a judge on the United Stated Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. In 1900, President William McKinley appointed Taft Governor-General of the Philippines. In 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Taft Secretary of War in an effort to groom Taft, then his close political ally, into his handpicked presidential successor. Taft assumed a prominent role in problem solving, assuming on some occasions the role of acting Secretary of State, while declining repeated offers from Roosevelt to serve on the Supreme Court.
Riding a wave of popular support for fellow Republican Roosevelt, Taft won an easy victory in his 1908 bid for the presidency.
In his only term, Taft’s domestic agenda emphasized trust-busting, civil service reform, strengthening the Interstate Commerce Commission, improving the performance of the postal service, and passage of the Sixteenth Amendment. Abroad, Taft sought to further the economic development of nations in Latin America and Asia through “Dollar Diplomacy” and showed masterful decisiveness and restraint in response to revolution in Mexico. The task-oriented Taft was oblivious to the political ramifications of his decisions, often alienated his own key constituencies, and was overwhelmingly defeated in his bid for a second term in the presidential election of 191. In surveys of presidential scholars, Taft is usually ranked in the second or third quartile of all Presidents.
After leaving office, Taft spent his time in academia, arbitration, and the search for world peace through his self-founded League to Enforce Peace. In 1921, after the First World War, President Warren G. Harding appointed Taft Chief Justice of the United States. Taft served in this capacity until shortly before his death in 1930.
William Howard Taft