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The Life and Times of William Howard Taft #1
The Life and Times of William Howard Taft, Vol 1
550 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1939
About the author
Henry F. Pringle
26 books1 followerHenry Fowles Pringle was an American biographer and journalist. In 1932 he won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography for his 1931 biography of Theodore Roosevelt.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
September 14, 2018
There are very few biographies on the fattest president in U.S. history, William Howard Taft. Thus, the reason for reading Henry Pringle's two volume life on Taft, written in 1939, only nine years after Taft died. One of the concerns about reading a biography that is so old is that the writing style feels dated and that is definitely the case here. Pringle had an annoying habit of, while writing about something chronological in Taft's life, suddenly jumping ahead several decades in time for a few lines before going back to storyline. At times it is disorienting for the reader to go from 1890 to 1909 and then right back to 1890. Smooth reading this biography is definitely not.
A positive aspect of this biography is that Pringle spends a lot of time examining Taft's pre-presidential life. In some biographies, the reader is transported from birth to presidency relatively quickly. That is not Pringle's method as he carefully examines Taft's legal and judicial careers, along with some discussion of his father Alphonso. He was a notable in his own right, serving as Attorney General and Secretary of War for Ulysses S. Grant, and later as an Ambassador. However, much like his exclusion of examining why Taft and Roosevelt became such good friends, Pringle never mentions that the fame of Taft's father may have factored into his getting appointed a Circuit Court Judge at a very young age, along with getting some other jobs that would normally seem to fall to more seasoned people. This is not to try to take away from Taft's intelligence. Clearly, he was a smart man and very respected in the judicial and legal fields. Yet one has to wonder if he would have gotten some of the opportunities had his father not been influential in the Republican Party.
One of the main drawbacks of this book is Pringle's clear contempt and disdain for Theodore Roosevelt. Granted, Roosevelt had a ton of flaws and ended up being a polarizing figure, especially in his own party. Also, his treatment of Taft after he forced Taft to become president is unfortunate, to put it charitably. However, Pringle seldom missed a chance to denigrate Roosevelt at Taft's expense. I am not a Roosevelt fan myself, yet I would have preferred a more balanced assessment of the relationship between the two men, instead of Roosevelt always getting the short end of the stick. Roosevelt did offer Taft the Supreme Court vacancy that he so coveted, and it was Taft who declined – partially because of his pushy, critical wife Helen. So Taft shares at least some of the blame for the rupture that came later, although Roosevelt certainly was the instigator. Also, curiously, Pringle does not really explore why the two men became friends to begin with, especially considering their vastly different personalities. I think that Pringle could have done a much more objective assessment of the Roosevelt-Taft relationship while still coming out on Taft's side, much as history has done.
However, as their time together deepens, Pringle is very good at dissecting the relationship, how well the two men worked together, and when things began to change. The fault lies mostly with Roosevelt for the disintegration of their friendship, although Taft is not totally blameless, as Pringle points out. Some of Taft's actions and gestures towards Roosevelt came at his own expense, almost as if Taft felt the need to apologize for being President. Of course, Taft never actually wanted the job, which lies in stark contrast to Roosevelt and the majority of the other men who have inhabited the job. Once again, his wife pushed him into a job that he did not truly want. Taft never fashioned himself as a politician, preferring instead the quiet halls of justice where he could let the law speak for him. Looking back on his time in office now, one wonders if he ever could have satisfied Roosevelt. I doubt it. Roosevelt craved power and wanted it back as soon as he walked away from it. He saw Taft as a giant obstacle (figuratively, although Taft was our fattest president) to his return to power. People that knew Roosevelt, such as Captain Archie Butt, clearly saw this. Yet somehow Taft did not see it until it was too late; or, he just did not want to see it.
Partially due to when it was written, this book suffers from Pringle's clear condescension towards non-white peoples. There is this feeling of white paternalism that flows throughout the book. For example, he refers to the Filipino people as “beloved brown children” (page 293). This is the type of racist attitude that can infect some of the books written a long time ago (not that you can't find racially-charged books today, but typically they would not be written by scholarly biographers). And while Pringle seems overall neutral, if not sometimes sympathetic, to Taft, I got the sense that he was just a grumpy individual. He seemed to enjoy taking shots at anyone he thought worthy of one: Progressives, Democrats, certain Republicans, people that Taft encountered in Cincinnati, and political appointees or government servants.
While this book does contain some good background on Taft's early life and career, things slow to a crawl once he becomes President. The review of the tariff goes on and on. And on. Ditto for the controversy between Chief Forester Gifford Pinchot and Secretary of the Interior Richard Ballinger. Pringle would have done better to have been a bit more succinct with some of these murky issues. The book is not entirely without merit, but if there were a better biography of Taft out there, I would not recommend this one.
Grade: D
A positive aspect of this biography is that Pringle spends a lot of time examining Taft's pre-presidential life. In some biographies, the reader is transported from birth to presidency relatively quickly. That is not Pringle's method as he carefully examines Taft's legal and judicial careers, along with some discussion of his father Alphonso. He was a notable in his own right, serving as Attorney General and Secretary of War for Ulysses S. Grant, and later as an Ambassador. However, much like his exclusion of examining why Taft and Roosevelt became such good friends, Pringle never mentions that the fame of Taft's father may have factored into his getting appointed a Circuit Court Judge at a very young age, along with getting some other jobs that would normally seem to fall to more seasoned people. This is not to try to take away from Taft's intelligence. Clearly, he was a smart man and very respected in the judicial and legal fields. Yet one has to wonder if he would have gotten some of the opportunities had his father not been influential in the Republican Party.
One of the main drawbacks of this book is Pringle's clear contempt and disdain for Theodore Roosevelt. Granted, Roosevelt had a ton of flaws and ended up being a polarizing figure, especially in his own party. Also, his treatment of Taft after he forced Taft to become president is unfortunate, to put it charitably. However, Pringle seldom missed a chance to denigrate Roosevelt at Taft's expense. I am not a Roosevelt fan myself, yet I would have preferred a more balanced assessment of the relationship between the two men, instead of Roosevelt always getting the short end of the stick. Roosevelt did offer Taft the Supreme Court vacancy that he so coveted, and it was Taft who declined – partially because of his pushy, critical wife Helen. So Taft shares at least some of the blame for the rupture that came later, although Roosevelt certainly was the instigator. Also, curiously, Pringle does not really explore why the two men became friends to begin with, especially considering their vastly different personalities. I think that Pringle could have done a much more objective assessment of the Roosevelt-Taft relationship while still coming out on Taft's side, much as history has done.
However, as their time together deepens, Pringle is very good at dissecting the relationship, how well the two men worked together, and when things began to change. The fault lies mostly with Roosevelt for the disintegration of their friendship, although Taft is not totally blameless, as Pringle points out. Some of Taft's actions and gestures towards Roosevelt came at his own expense, almost as if Taft felt the need to apologize for being President. Of course, Taft never actually wanted the job, which lies in stark contrast to Roosevelt and the majority of the other men who have inhabited the job. Once again, his wife pushed him into a job that he did not truly want. Taft never fashioned himself as a politician, preferring instead the quiet halls of justice where he could let the law speak for him. Looking back on his time in office now, one wonders if he ever could have satisfied Roosevelt. I doubt it. Roosevelt craved power and wanted it back as soon as he walked away from it. He saw Taft as a giant obstacle (figuratively, although Taft was our fattest president) to his return to power. People that knew Roosevelt, such as Captain Archie Butt, clearly saw this. Yet somehow Taft did not see it until it was too late; or, he just did not want to see it.
Partially due to when it was written, this book suffers from Pringle's clear condescension towards non-white peoples. There is this feeling of white paternalism that flows throughout the book. For example, he refers to the Filipino people as “beloved brown children” (page 293). This is the type of racist attitude that can infect some of the books written a long time ago (not that you can't find racially-charged books today, but typically they would not be written by scholarly biographers). And while Pringle seems overall neutral, if not sometimes sympathetic, to Taft, I got the sense that he was just a grumpy individual. He seemed to enjoy taking shots at anyone he thought worthy of one: Progressives, Democrats, certain Republicans, people that Taft encountered in Cincinnati, and political appointees or government servants.
While this book does contain some good background on Taft's early life and career, things slow to a crawl once he becomes President. The review of the tariff goes on and on. And on. Ditto for the controversy between Chief Forester Gifford Pinchot and Secretary of the Interior Richard Ballinger. Pringle would have done better to have been a bit more succinct with some of these murky issues. The book is not entirely without merit, but if there were a better biography of Taft out there, I would not recommend this one.
Grade: D
July 25, 2012
I would have laughed at anyone telling me an 1,100 page, 2-volume biography of U.S. president William Howard Taft would turn out to be a page turner, especially after just finishing Edmund Morris's three-volume masterpiece on Theodore Roosevelt. But I'd have been wrong. Henry Pringle's massive work isn't on the same level as Morris's, but it's a wonderful book nonetheless, and Pringle makes Taft a richly human character. Taft obviously appeals to Pringle (though their apparent political differences are somewhat obvious), and he gives great insight into the man who reluctantly became president and lost both esteem and his greatest friendship in doing so. Taft is not a tragic figure, as Roosevelt in some ways was. But there are disappointments in his life that saddened him, and it is pleasant to see how this good man, a conservative Republican, ended his life and career with enormous prestige and honor, respected by even his ardent political opponents. Pringle's book is a long one, but a rewarding and enjoyable one to read.
July 2, 2015
http://bestpresidentialbios.com/2015/...
“The Life and Times of William Howard Taft” by Henry Pringle was published in 1939 and is often considered the definitive biography of the 27th president. Pringle won the 1932 Pulitzer Prize for his biography of Theodore Roosevelt and was a professor at the Columbia School of Journalism. He died in 1958 at the age of sixty.
It is immediately clear that this two-volume behemoth does not provide light reading: it is lengthy (with 1,079 pages), it exudes a dated writing style and it is often detailed beyond the point of comfort. This sometimes overwhelming breadth and depth were made possible by special access the author was granted to a massive collection of Taft’s papers.
In contrast to his biography of Theodore Roosevelt (where Pringle was openly hostile to his subject) this book proves reasonably sympathetic toward Taft. And even some of the author’s previous animosity toward TR has been softened a bit…though one might suspect it is not really gone, but merely lurking beneath the surface.
Not surprisingly, this review of Taft’s life is both comprehensive and thorough. Among its most valuable components are the pages which discuss Taft’s time as Governor-General of the Philippines, the history of the Panama Canal project and Taft’s pre- and post-presidential judicial careers.
But while much of the biography is organized chronologically, Pringle’s review of Taft’s presidency is largely thematic in structure. While this may make sense from an intellectual perspective it presents special challenges to the reader who is unacquainted with Taft’s life and political career.
In addition, this biography provides a fair but not particularly robust sense of Taft’s personality; the reader is not often exposed to the guiding hand of his influential wife or the lives of his children. As opposed to the colorful treatment some biographers provide their subjects (and which this president arguably deserves) Pringle’s description of Taft is fairly dull and two-dimensional.
In general, this biography does an excellent job recounting what happened during Taft’s life (both within his sphere and more broadly) but a less satisfying job of analyzing why things happened in a particular way.
In its quest to present the reader with every available fact, this book frequently wanders into seemingly endless detail and is often dry. Much of what is discussed will be of interest only to a committed historian; casual fans of the presidency will likely resort to selective skimming in order to maintain forward progress with minimal pain.
But what is missing on a basic level is the notion that the life of a former president can be both probative and interesting. There are numerous moments of penetrating insight embedded in these two volumes but they are sprinkled amongst pages that lack vitality and vigor. A collection of this biography’s most piercing observations would be quite potent – but embedding them in a captivating narrative would make them uniquely magnificent.
Overall, Henry Pringle’s two-volume biography of William Howard Taft proves a document of great historical value but falls short as a source of captivating enlightenment. While far more an account than an analysis of history, this biography is so thorough that it seems unlikely to be surpassed as a critical reference on Taft’s life. But in the end, “The Life and Times of William Howard Taft” provides a far better portrait of Taft’s era than it provides of Taft himself.
Overall rating: 3¼ stars
“The Life and Times of William Howard Taft” by Henry Pringle was published in 1939 and is often considered the definitive biography of the 27th president. Pringle won the 1932 Pulitzer Prize for his biography of Theodore Roosevelt and was a professor at the Columbia School of Journalism. He died in 1958 at the age of sixty.
It is immediately clear that this two-volume behemoth does not provide light reading: it is lengthy (with 1,079 pages), it exudes a dated writing style and it is often detailed beyond the point of comfort. This sometimes overwhelming breadth and depth were made possible by special access the author was granted to a massive collection of Taft’s papers.
In contrast to his biography of Theodore Roosevelt (where Pringle was openly hostile to his subject) this book proves reasonably sympathetic toward Taft. And even some of the author’s previous animosity toward TR has been softened a bit…though one might suspect it is not really gone, but merely lurking beneath the surface.
Not surprisingly, this review of Taft’s life is both comprehensive and thorough. Among its most valuable components are the pages which discuss Taft’s time as Governor-General of the Philippines, the history of the Panama Canal project and Taft’s pre- and post-presidential judicial careers.
But while much of the biography is organized chronologically, Pringle’s review of Taft’s presidency is largely thematic in structure. While this may make sense from an intellectual perspective it presents special challenges to the reader who is unacquainted with Taft’s life and political career.
In addition, this biography provides a fair but not particularly robust sense of Taft’s personality; the reader is not often exposed to the guiding hand of his influential wife or the lives of his children. As opposed to the colorful treatment some biographers provide their subjects (and which this president arguably deserves) Pringle’s description of Taft is fairly dull and two-dimensional.
In general, this biography does an excellent job recounting what happened during Taft’s life (both within his sphere and more broadly) but a less satisfying job of analyzing why things happened in a particular way.
In its quest to present the reader with every available fact, this book frequently wanders into seemingly endless detail and is often dry. Much of what is discussed will be of interest only to a committed historian; casual fans of the presidency will likely resort to selective skimming in order to maintain forward progress with minimal pain.
But what is missing on a basic level is the notion that the life of a former president can be both probative and interesting. There are numerous moments of penetrating insight embedded in these two volumes but they are sprinkled amongst pages that lack vitality and vigor. A collection of this biography’s most piercing observations would be quite potent – but embedding them in a captivating narrative would make them uniquely magnificent.
Overall, Henry Pringle’s two-volume biography of William Howard Taft proves a document of great historical value but falls short as a source of captivating enlightenment. While far more an account than an analysis of history, this biography is so thorough that it seems unlikely to be surpassed as a critical reference on Taft’s life. But in the end, “The Life and Times of William Howard Taft” provides a far better portrait of Taft’s era than it provides of Taft himself.
Overall rating: 3¼ stars
July 21, 2019
Hmmm.....Just a note as I begin reading this book. In order to save it my page, I had to mark "wants to read". I am adding a qualifier, want is not the verb I would have used. Chooses might be more accurate:)
Henry R Pringle in 1932 wrote a biography of Teddy Roosevelt. Seven years later he wrote one on William Howard Taft, undertaken only 9 years after his death. The Life and Times of William Howard Taft, vol 1 traces his history from birth to the his 2nd year as President and the return of TR from his African/European tour. Actually I felt, while reading, that this biography is more of the Life and Times of WHT as compared to TR, whom Pringle clearly did not like. There are few chapters that don't include TR in some fashion, even those that describe WHT's youth. Perhaps this is forgivable, considering that Taft himself decreed that his presidency would be the cementing and stabilizing those reforms introduce by TR. I found Pringle's writing verbose,and his accounts dry and often confusing (particularly that of the Pinchot-Ballinger affair). Pringle outlined his biography thus far in a semi-chronological fashion, often jumping ahead to events of later years to given credence to what he had written.
Since so much as been made of the comparison of WHT and TR and the subsequent clash of their presidencies, I will make my own comparisons.
WHT
An able manager
a lawyer, cerebral in nature
a bit of a procrastinator
cautious
needed approval of others
desired a Supreme Court bench
TR
A gifted leader
a politician, shrewdly impulsive
a man who rushed in where angels feared to tread
impetuous
self-determined
aimed for the presidency
(Sadly, the format for Goodreads does not allow for columns which would have made this more effective!)
Perhaps Taft's troubles in his presidency were inevitable. His rise in judicial circles early in his career (that eventually lead him to higher public offices) does not appear to necessarily be due to his own ambition and skills, but rather because his father, Alphonso Taft, was an important figure in the Republican Party. Taft was mediocre as a lawyer who seemed to be satisfied with the status quo. He was effective as the President of the Philippine Commission, of which many may have extrapolated that he would make a good President of the US. However, one does not equate with the other. His office in the Philippines was appointed, he did not have to cope with a feisty Congress, and he could afford to be paternalistic with his constituents, his "little brown brethren".
Taft really wanted the Supreme Court, which he eventually obtains. Did Roosevelt really push him into the office? I don't think so. TR kept offering him a place on the highest Bench in the land, but for many reasons, WHT kept postponing. I actually feel that it was Mrs. Taft's coercion of both her husband and TR that drove him to accept the nomination that TR would promote, even though TR warned him to "make the decision himself". Taft's lack of political acumen helped create some of the quagmires that beset him.
I do dread having to wade through another 500+ pages in volume 2 and wish that I had good speed reading skills so that I could move on quickly to Wilson. It will describe the public downfall of 2 men who earnestly wanted to serve the American public. Unfortunately, there are not many biographies on WHT, and so I commit.
Henry R Pringle in 1932 wrote a biography of Teddy Roosevelt. Seven years later he wrote one on William Howard Taft, undertaken only 9 years after his death. The Life and Times of William Howard Taft, vol 1 traces his history from birth to the his 2nd year as President and the return of TR from his African/European tour. Actually I felt, while reading, that this biography is more of the Life and Times of WHT as compared to TR, whom Pringle clearly did not like. There are few chapters that don't include TR in some fashion, even those that describe WHT's youth. Perhaps this is forgivable, considering that Taft himself decreed that his presidency would be the cementing and stabilizing those reforms introduce by TR. I found Pringle's writing verbose,and his accounts dry and often confusing (particularly that of the Pinchot-Ballinger affair). Pringle outlined his biography thus far in a semi-chronological fashion, often jumping ahead to events of later years to given credence to what he had written.
Since so much as been made of the comparison of WHT and TR and the subsequent clash of their presidencies, I will make my own comparisons.
WHT
An able manager
a lawyer, cerebral in nature
a bit of a procrastinator
cautious
needed approval of others
desired a Supreme Court bench
TR
A gifted leader
a politician, shrewdly impulsive
a man who rushed in where angels feared to tread
impetuous
self-determined
aimed for the presidency
(Sadly, the format for Goodreads does not allow for columns which would have made this more effective!)
Perhaps Taft's troubles in his presidency were inevitable. His rise in judicial circles early in his career (that eventually lead him to higher public offices) does not appear to necessarily be due to his own ambition and skills, but rather because his father, Alphonso Taft, was an important figure in the Republican Party. Taft was mediocre as a lawyer who seemed to be satisfied with the status quo. He was effective as the President of the Philippine Commission, of which many may have extrapolated that he would make a good President of the US. However, one does not equate with the other. His office in the Philippines was appointed, he did not have to cope with a feisty Congress, and he could afford to be paternalistic with his constituents, his "little brown brethren".
Taft really wanted the Supreme Court, which he eventually obtains. Did Roosevelt really push him into the office? I don't think so. TR kept offering him a place on the highest Bench in the land, but for many reasons, WHT kept postponing. I actually feel that it was Mrs. Taft's coercion of both her husband and TR that drove him to accept the nomination that TR would promote, even though TR warned him to "make the decision himself". Taft's lack of political acumen helped create some of the quagmires that beset him.
I do dread having to wade through another 500+ pages in volume 2 and wish that I had good speed reading skills so that I could move on quickly to Wilson. It will describe the public downfall of 2 men who earnestly wanted to serve the American public. Unfortunately, there are not many biographies on WHT, and so I commit.
August 18, 2018
It could be hard to review a single volume of a seamless story, but the life of Taft has a decidedly two-part chronology. Pringle presents the first half as a life quite remarkable in its own right, but growing slowly more dependent on the validation of Theodore Roosevelt. Taft transitions from legal successes to a life of governance, while never quite getting a grasp of the politics required to achieve his legislative goals in Washington. Meanwhile, Roosevelt emerges as a political master, one who recognizes the valuable character of Taft. Volume one reaches into the first year and a half of Taft's presidency, and leaves the reader a To Be Continued of sorts, after the first real signs of friction between the two friends, Roosevelt and Taft. The final chapter, The Hunter Returns, indicates the trouble ahead--the biggest presidential rift since Adams and Jefferson.
January 13, 2026
William Howard Taft was born in Cincinnati in 1857. His father Alphonso Taft was a lawyer, judge, member of President Grant's cabinet, and minister to Vienna and St. Petersburg. William Taft was born plump and jovial and remained so his entire life.
Boys from his neighborhood feuded with boys from other neighborhoods, throwing rocks at each other and drawing blood. He enjoyed playing baseball, though they would sometimes be attacked while playing. He was nicknamed Big Lub. He covered second base and was good at bat, but a slow runner. He swam in the canal in summer and skated on it in winter.
He and his brothers sometimes spent summers with their strict grandfather on his farm. He went to dancing school and became a good dancer. His family was Unitarian. When he got into politics he would be accused of being a Unitarian atheist and thus not fit for office. He did believe in God, but not the divinity of Christ.
He finished second in his high school class. In high school, he wrote an essay in favor of female suffrage. In 1874, he followed in his father's footsteps by going to Yale, where he also finished second in his class.
He didn't smoke and rarely drank. He was bored by chapel services. He joined the Skull and Bones club that his father helped found. He wasn't a strong speaker. He loved his time at Yale and when he became President, he gave appointments to his fellow classmates.
In 1878, he entered Cincinnati Law School, where he was only required to attend two hours a day. He worked as a court reporter as well. He once beat up a newspaper editor for publishing malicious things about his father.
He was a fan of the theatre and once had dinner with Fay Templeton, an actress he had a crush on. He belonged to the Literary Club of Cincinnati and the Unity Club affiliated with the Unitarian church. He played the title role in their production of Sleeping Beauty which had the audience in stitches and earned him the nickname of Angel. For Valentine's Day he received poetic tributes to his chubby build which he kept as cherished mementos.
In 1880, he was appointed assistant prosecutor of Hamilton County in exchange for helping out the newly elected prosecutor with his news reports.
He campaigned to get his father elected governor, but he lost.
In 1882, he became a collector for internal revenue. At 24, he was the youngest collector in the nation. It helped that his father was friendly with President Arthur. However, he retired after a year. He didn't like being asked to fire competent employees for political reasons.
He became a lawyer. He campaigned for the Republicans and was appointed chief supervisor of the election in Cincinnati in 1884 to prevent voting fraud. He appointed 60 assistants. It was a rough election. There was voter intimidation on both sides and one black person was killed.
He began courting Helen "Nellie" Herron, daughter of an attorney. She was intelligent, opinionated, and musical. She taught at a prepatory school and became one of the organizers of the symphony orchestra. Nellie wanted to be friends with a man before dating him. Fortunately for Taft, he was a part of her friend circle.
They met at a winter night's coasting party in 1879 when she was 18. She started a salon and Taft became a member. They went out with each other occasionally over the next few years. By 1884, they saw each other constantly.
He proposed in April 1885 and she said no. (It was customary to reject the first proposal or two.) She accepted his proposal in May and they married a year later. They sailed to Europe for their honeymoon. Nellie was said to have a sharp tongue because she would rebuke Taft at dinner parties, but he didn't mind.
A man named William Kirk was murdered on Christmas Eve, 1883. One of the murderers escaped the gallows thanks to his lawyer, Thomas Campbell. The murderer was only found guilty of manslaughter. Taft considered Campbell an enemy because he had lost cases to him in the past.
Intense rioting followed the manslaughter verdict in which 45 men died. The courthouse was burned down. There were calls to lynch the jury. People moved to disbar Campbell for doing his job too well and getting his client a lighter sentence.
Taft was junior counsel (an unpaid position) trying to disbar Campbell. He traveled Ohio investigating cases Campbell had tried, to try to find evidence of wrongdoing. He found a juror from a case Taft lost four years ago willing to testify against Campbell for jury tampering.
The main lawyer fell ill, so Taft got to sum up the case. He was only 28. It was his moment to shine. He spoke four hours summing up the evidence against Campbell. However, he didn't prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. He also used intellect rather than emotion which is a losing strategy for a lawyer. Campbell defended himself with emotion and won.
At a Republican primary convention, a man accused Taft of buying votes. The two got into an argument and Taft slapped him. The man tried to pull his pistol, but was restrained.
Governor Foraker appointed Taft to become judge of the Superior Court of Cincinnati, a post his father had held. It's a bit of a mystery why. Foraker and Taft hated each other and Taft was 29, having little law experience and also being very young to be a judge. Perhaps Foraker knew Taft would do well in politics thanks to his father's connections and wanted Taft to be in his debt.
Years later, Foraker advised President Harrison to put Taft on the Supreme Court. Harrison made Taft solicitor general (counselor to the attorney general) instead in 1890. A friend of his father's welcomed him into the social scene of Washington D.C. The job didn't pay well and he had to borrow money from one of his brothers.
His first son Robert was born around this time.
His father died in 1891 at the age of 80. Taft was with him for his final month. He'd kind of believed in a supernatural way that his father was his guardian angel and responsible for his rapid rise and good fortune. Was his good fortune now at an end?
In 1892, he became a circuit court judge and moved back to Cincinnati. Nellie became manager of the Cincinnati Orchestra Association. He began a tradition of visiting Murray Bay in Quebec every summer (except when he was president and followed the tradition of not leaving American soil). The locals called him "le petit juge".
As circuit judge, he traveled and was too honest in that he returned unused travel expenses to the federal treasury which annoyed Nellie.
In 1896, he also became dean and professor at Cincinnati Law School. Once, as judge, he found one of his students guilty of a swindle and sentenced him to prison.
Taft didn't speak publicly about the Pullman railroad strike of 1894, but in his private letters, he thought the strikers should be killed. He ruled against strikers in his legal decisions. He was at least on the side of the working man when he was injured on the job. He also ruled against a pipe monopoly, so he wasn't entirely on the side of big corporations.
He became friends with Theodore Roosevelt and was one of the people who convinced President McKinley to make Roosevelt assistant secretary of the Navy. Unlike Roosevelt, Taft wasn't pro-war and didn't even like to kill animals.
In 1900, after the Spanish-American War, President McKinley surprised Taft by asking him to go to the Philippines which America had taken control of after defeating Spain. He accepted the position, hoping to make the Filipino people capable of self-government.
The Philippine Commission set up the law similar to the US, with a few exceptions (no jury trial or a right to bear arms). Taft also suppressed freedom of the press by forbidding talk of Philippine independence. The intention was to put Filipinos into government and court positions to transition them to rule themselves. An education system was also set up.
Taft was a bit racist, but also looked fondly upon the Filipino people. They were afraid the Americans would make them slaves or treat them as an inferior race. He assured the Filipinos they wouldn't be treated as inferior. At official and unofficial diners, Taft made sure guests weren't separated according to race. He tried to learn Spanish and ate Filipino food even though he hated it.
He granted amnesty and civil service jobs to those who gave up fighting, and threatened to seize the property of those who kept fighting for independence. The fighting died down but didn't completely end. Taft hoped the Philippines could become a U.S. state. As time went on, he replaced Filipino judges with American judges, considering the Filipino judges corrupt.
Before the U.S. took over, Spanish friars controlled the Philippine government, health care, police, jails, theatre, and religion. Many of the friars were corrupt and amassed a lot of land and wealth. Most Filipinos remained devoted Catholics, but were opposed to the friars remaining. The question of what to do with them and their property was the most difficult issue Taft had to deal with. He decided the friars had to leave and their land needed to be bought from them.
Taft got dengue fever and had to go back to the U. S. for surgery on his abscesses. While there, he met with Roosevelt who said Taft would have to go to Rome to negotiate with the Vatican. Pope Leo was agreeable, but the cardinals refused to withdraw the friars. Years later, the lands were finally sold. The Spanish friars were never withdrawn, but their influence waned and they were replaced by American and Filipino friars.
Returning to the Philippines, Taft found many American officeholders had stolen funds. He prosecuted them and most were sent to the penitentiary. A cholera epidemic killed over 100,000 Filipinos, rinderpest had killed most of their pack animals, a drought had destroyed crops, and a storm had destroyed homes. Roosevelt provided relief funds.
Taft got dysentery and went to a mountain resort to recover. Secretary of War Root was worried about his health. Taft said he was fine and rode horseback twenty-five miles to five thousand feet elevation. Root, picturing the 300-pound man upon a horse, replied by telegram, "How is the horse?" Taft was amused by the joke and had it published. This joke became famous and was told repeatedly during the 1908 presidential campaign.
Roosevelt twice offered Taft a position on the Supreme Court. It was his life goal, but he declined because he didn't want to abandon the Filipino people. However, Roosevelt then ordered him to return to the US to become secretary of war and Taft agreed. He'd still be in charge of the Philippines as secretary of war, although at a remove. Also, he hoped leaving the tropics would cure his dysentery.
War was brewing between Japan and Russia over Korea. The Emperor of Japan asked Taft to visit him before returning to the states and let him know Japan wanted peace.
As secretary of war, he traveled to Panama and was involved in building the canal. He also immediately sent supplies to relieve the victims of the San Francisco earthquake without first getting congressional approval, which was technically illegal. The job didn't pay well. Fortunately, his brother Charles provided him with an additional $8,000 a year so he had enough money to entertain guests in the extravagant manner that was expected.
In December 1905, Taft weighed 326 pounds. To lose weight, he began daily horseback rides and began a diet under supervision by a doctor. By April 1906, he was down to 255 pounds.
He went to Japan a couple more times to inform them the US was on their side even if there were anti-Japanese demonstrations in California.
The president of Cuba was driven out of power by insurgents and resigned. Taft became the provisional governor of Cuba for a couple weeks. He convinced the insurgents to disarm. The country was basically a protectorate of the US for a couple years before becoming independent again.
In 1906, Roosevelt offered Taft a position on the Supreme Court and Taft turned it down a third time. It was for associate justice not chief justice. Also Taft's wife wanted him to be president. He also liked the idea of being president himself and it was a real possibility.
He was reluctant to run for president and suggested that other men would be better for the job. When he decided to go for it, he initially didn't want Roosevelt to fire post masters and internal revenue collectors who didn't support Taft for president, but later decided they should either support him or keep quiet if they wanted to keep their government jobs.
In 1906, black soldiers stationed in Brownsville, Texas were accused of shooting white people. Roosevelt dismissed 160 black men including six Medal of Honor recipients and others with distinguished records. This meant they wouldn't receive pensions and could be destitute in their old age. As secretary of war, Taft carried out Roosevelt's orders.
Joseph Foraker, who had helped Taft early in his career but was now opposed to his presidency, made this incident a cause célèbre. There was a senate hearing. No one ever found out who was responsible for the shooting. Everyone agreed however that most of the men dismissed, if not all, were innocent.
Taft spent a lot of time investigating but didn't find out what really happened. The matter worried him for more than two years. He was eventually able to joke about it. When a black head waiter at one of his dinner parties proved incompetent, Taft joked that it was the Twenty-fifth Infantry getting even.
While traveling through Yellowstone, Taft accidentally played a game of whist on Sunday (he thought it was Saturday) and his wife was upset that he played cards on Sunday. Taft was worried this would be publicized and cause a controversy, but it didn't get out.
Taft gained a reputation for being Good Old Bill: big, jolly, easily influenced, sometimes lazy. A Supreme Court justice joked that he was so polite he once arose in a streetcar to give his seat to three women.
Taft got the Republican nomination for president in 1908 thanks to Roosevelt's endorsement and he easily beat the Democratic nominee William Jennings Bryan who made the mistake of saying the only way to stop railroads from being a monopoly was public ownership, which many considered socialism.
Taft didn't want campaign contributions from big corporations, fearing how it would look. He got smaller contributions from smaller businessmen and wound up with 1.6 million, less than the 2.2 million Roosevelt raised last election.
As he campaigned for himself, Taft had to read his speeches since he had no gift for oratory. His speeches were often too long. However, he had an infectious laugh that the audience couldn't help but join in. It started with a silent trembling of his stomach. Then he would pause his reading and a slow grin would spread across his face. Then came a kind of gulp that seemed to escape involuntarily. Then he'd laugh and the audience would join in.
He rarely drank alcohol as it didn't agree with him. He believed each locality should decide for itself whether to prohibit alcohol. Prohibitionists didn't like that. His Unitarianism made some think he was disqualified for the presidency. Some thought he was a Catholic because he met with the Pope. Foraker had been caught taking bribes from Standard Oil and Taft had to distance himself from him after Foraker had started cozying up to him again. Some thought Taft was a "dude" (an elitist) because he played golf.
Roosevelt was only 50 when he left the presidency. Taft was slightly older entering it. Roosevelt left to Africa for a hunting trip and said he planned to write a biography about his good friend Taft.
To deal with the deficit, Taft maneuvered congress into a situation in which they had to accept instituting a corporate tax and asking the states for a constitutional amendment to allow income tax. He also managed to lower the tariff, although not by as much as he would have liked.
Unfortunately the tariff reduction didn't lower the cost of living for the average person. The tariff on wool remained the same, but newspapers claimed it had risen and stores used this as an excuse to raise prices. The tariff on a few items increased, although it was an overall reduction.
In May 1909, Nellie had a stroke. It took her months to recover and her speech was affected so she couldn't attend social affairs for a long time.
Like Roosevelt, Taft was a friend of environmental conservation. However, he wanted everything to be done legally. He got Congress to pass laws making Roosevelt's setting aside of natural resources legal. He pushed through Roosevelt initiatives like creating a postal saving system, railroad reforms, building up the navy, and improving rivers and harbors. He followed Roosevelt's suggestion for who to appoint as chief justice of the Supreme Court (he ended up making six appointments in all, making the majority of the Supreme Court men he picked). However, a misunderstanding would end up forever driving a wedge between the two.
Secretary of Interior Ballinger was accused of corruption regarding coal lands in Alaska by the chief of the US Forest Service. Taft defended Ballinger. Ultimately, the accusations proved groundless, but the controversy hurt Taft's reputation and his relationship with Roosevelt.
One of Taft's weaknesses was being content to let facts speak for themselves rather than defending himself. His silence on matters allowed his enemies to make unrefuted insinuations. By the time the truth finally came out, Taft's reputation had already been sullied.
One of the reasons given for Roosevelt's sudden hostility is Taft dismissed ambassador Henry White. When Taft learned of this, he was surprised because he had replaced White with Roosevelt's friend Robert Bacon. Taft had always done what he thought Roosevelt wanted him to do, but Roosevelt decided to believe the rumors spread by Taft's enemies instead.
When Roosevelt returned to America, Taft invited him to the White House, but Roosevelt declined. They did end up meeting in person later. Roosevelt was nice to Taft's face while he plotted against him behind his back. Unfortunately, this book ends on a cliffhanger. We'll have to read volume 2 to find out what happens next.
Boys from his neighborhood feuded with boys from other neighborhoods, throwing rocks at each other and drawing blood. He enjoyed playing baseball, though they would sometimes be attacked while playing. He was nicknamed Big Lub. He covered second base and was good at bat, but a slow runner. He swam in the canal in summer and skated on it in winter.
He and his brothers sometimes spent summers with their strict grandfather on his farm. He went to dancing school and became a good dancer. His family was Unitarian. When he got into politics he would be accused of being a Unitarian atheist and thus not fit for office. He did believe in God, but not the divinity of Christ.
He finished second in his high school class. In high school, he wrote an essay in favor of female suffrage. In 1874, he followed in his father's footsteps by going to Yale, where he also finished second in his class.
He didn't smoke and rarely drank. He was bored by chapel services. He joined the Skull and Bones club that his father helped found. He wasn't a strong speaker. He loved his time at Yale and when he became President, he gave appointments to his fellow classmates.
In 1878, he entered Cincinnati Law School, where he was only required to attend two hours a day. He worked as a court reporter as well. He once beat up a newspaper editor for publishing malicious things about his father.
He was a fan of the theatre and once had dinner with Fay Templeton, an actress he had a crush on. He belonged to the Literary Club of Cincinnati and the Unity Club affiliated with the Unitarian church. He played the title role in their production of Sleeping Beauty which had the audience in stitches and earned him the nickname of Angel. For Valentine's Day he received poetic tributes to his chubby build which he kept as cherished mementos.
In 1880, he was appointed assistant prosecutor of Hamilton County in exchange for helping out the newly elected prosecutor with his news reports.
He campaigned to get his father elected governor, but he lost.
In 1882, he became a collector for internal revenue. At 24, he was the youngest collector in the nation. It helped that his father was friendly with President Arthur. However, he retired after a year. He didn't like being asked to fire competent employees for political reasons.
He became a lawyer. He campaigned for the Republicans and was appointed chief supervisor of the election in Cincinnati in 1884 to prevent voting fraud. He appointed 60 assistants. It was a rough election. There was voter intimidation on both sides and one black person was killed.
He began courting Helen "Nellie" Herron, daughter of an attorney. She was intelligent, opinionated, and musical. She taught at a prepatory school and became one of the organizers of the symphony orchestra. Nellie wanted to be friends with a man before dating him. Fortunately for Taft, he was a part of her friend circle.
They met at a winter night's coasting party in 1879 when she was 18. She started a salon and Taft became a member. They went out with each other occasionally over the next few years. By 1884, they saw each other constantly.
He proposed in April 1885 and she said no. (It was customary to reject the first proposal or two.) She accepted his proposal in May and they married a year later. They sailed to Europe for their honeymoon. Nellie was said to have a sharp tongue because she would rebuke Taft at dinner parties, but he didn't mind.
A man named William Kirk was murdered on Christmas Eve, 1883. One of the murderers escaped the gallows thanks to his lawyer, Thomas Campbell. The murderer was only found guilty of manslaughter. Taft considered Campbell an enemy because he had lost cases to him in the past.
Intense rioting followed the manslaughter verdict in which 45 men died. The courthouse was burned down. There were calls to lynch the jury. People moved to disbar Campbell for doing his job too well and getting his client a lighter sentence.
Taft was junior counsel (an unpaid position) trying to disbar Campbell. He traveled Ohio investigating cases Campbell had tried, to try to find evidence of wrongdoing. He found a juror from a case Taft lost four years ago willing to testify against Campbell for jury tampering.
The main lawyer fell ill, so Taft got to sum up the case. He was only 28. It was his moment to shine. He spoke four hours summing up the evidence against Campbell. However, he didn't prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. He also used intellect rather than emotion which is a losing strategy for a lawyer. Campbell defended himself with emotion and won.
At a Republican primary convention, a man accused Taft of buying votes. The two got into an argument and Taft slapped him. The man tried to pull his pistol, but was restrained.
Governor Foraker appointed Taft to become judge of the Superior Court of Cincinnati, a post his father had held. It's a bit of a mystery why. Foraker and Taft hated each other and Taft was 29, having little law experience and also being very young to be a judge. Perhaps Foraker knew Taft would do well in politics thanks to his father's connections and wanted Taft to be in his debt.
Years later, Foraker advised President Harrison to put Taft on the Supreme Court. Harrison made Taft solicitor general (counselor to the attorney general) instead in 1890. A friend of his father's welcomed him into the social scene of Washington D.C. The job didn't pay well and he had to borrow money from one of his brothers.
His first son Robert was born around this time.
His father died in 1891 at the age of 80. Taft was with him for his final month. He'd kind of believed in a supernatural way that his father was his guardian angel and responsible for his rapid rise and good fortune. Was his good fortune now at an end?
In 1892, he became a circuit court judge and moved back to Cincinnati. Nellie became manager of the Cincinnati Orchestra Association. He began a tradition of visiting Murray Bay in Quebec every summer (except when he was president and followed the tradition of not leaving American soil). The locals called him "le petit juge".
As circuit judge, he traveled and was too honest in that he returned unused travel expenses to the federal treasury which annoyed Nellie.
In 1896, he also became dean and professor at Cincinnati Law School. Once, as judge, he found one of his students guilty of a swindle and sentenced him to prison.
Taft didn't speak publicly about the Pullman railroad strike of 1894, but in his private letters, he thought the strikers should be killed. He ruled against strikers in his legal decisions. He was at least on the side of the working man when he was injured on the job. He also ruled against a pipe monopoly, so he wasn't entirely on the side of big corporations.
He became friends with Theodore Roosevelt and was one of the people who convinced President McKinley to make Roosevelt assistant secretary of the Navy. Unlike Roosevelt, Taft wasn't pro-war and didn't even like to kill animals.
In 1900, after the Spanish-American War, President McKinley surprised Taft by asking him to go to the Philippines which America had taken control of after defeating Spain. He accepted the position, hoping to make the Filipino people capable of self-government.
The Philippine Commission set up the law similar to the US, with a few exceptions (no jury trial or a right to bear arms). Taft also suppressed freedom of the press by forbidding talk of Philippine independence. The intention was to put Filipinos into government and court positions to transition them to rule themselves. An education system was also set up.
Taft was a bit racist, but also looked fondly upon the Filipino people. They were afraid the Americans would make them slaves or treat them as an inferior race. He assured the Filipinos they wouldn't be treated as inferior. At official and unofficial diners, Taft made sure guests weren't separated according to race. He tried to learn Spanish and ate Filipino food even though he hated it.
He granted amnesty and civil service jobs to those who gave up fighting, and threatened to seize the property of those who kept fighting for independence. The fighting died down but didn't completely end. Taft hoped the Philippines could become a U.S. state. As time went on, he replaced Filipino judges with American judges, considering the Filipino judges corrupt.
Before the U.S. took over, Spanish friars controlled the Philippine government, health care, police, jails, theatre, and religion. Many of the friars were corrupt and amassed a lot of land and wealth. Most Filipinos remained devoted Catholics, but were opposed to the friars remaining. The question of what to do with them and their property was the most difficult issue Taft had to deal with. He decided the friars had to leave and their land needed to be bought from them.
Taft got dengue fever and had to go back to the U. S. for surgery on his abscesses. While there, he met with Roosevelt who said Taft would have to go to Rome to negotiate with the Vatican. Pope Leo was agreeable, but the cardinals refused to withdraw the friars. Years later, the lands were finally sold. The Spanish friars were never withdrawn, but their influence waned and they were replaced by American and Filipino friars.
Returning to the Philippines, Taft found many American officeholders had stolen funds. He prosecuted them and most were sent to the penitentiary. A cholera epidemic killed over 100,000 Filipinos, rinderpest had killed most of their pack animals, a drought had destroyed crops, and a storm had destroyed homes. Roosevelt provided relief funds.
Taft got dysentery and went to a mountain resort to recover. Secretary of War Root was worried about his health. Taft said he was fine and rode horseback twenty-five miles to five thousand feet elevation. Root, picturing the 300-pound man upon a horse, replied by telegram, "How is the horse?" Taft was amused by the joke and had it published. This joke became famous and was told repeatedly during the 1908 presidential campaign.
Roosevelt twice offered Taft a position on the Supreme Court. It was his life goal, but he declined because he didn't want to abandon the Filipino people. However, Roosevelt then ordered him to return to the US to become secretary of war and Taft agreed. He'd still be in charge of the Philippines as secretary of war, although at a remove. Also, he hoped leaving the tropics would cure his dysentery.
War was brewing between Japan and Russia over Korea. The Emperor of Japan asked Taft to visit him before returning to the states and let him know Japan wanted peace.
As secretary of war, he traveled to Panama and was involved in building the canal. He also immediately sent supplies to relieve the victims of the San Francisco earthquake without first getting congressional approval, which was technically illegal. The job didn't pay well. Fortunately, his brother Charles provided him with an additional $8,000 a year so he had enough money to entertain guests in the extravagant manner that was expected.
In December 1905, Taft weighed 326 pounds. To lose weight, he began daily horseback rides and began a diet under supervision by a doctor. By April 1906, he was down to 255 pounds.
He went to Japan a couple more times to inform them the US was on their side even if there were anti-Japanese demonstrations in California.
The president of Cuba was driven out of power by insurgents and resigned. Taft became the provisional governor of Cuba for a couple weeks. He convinced the insurgents to disarm. The country was basically a protectorate of the US for a couple years before becoming independent again.
In 1906, Roosevelt offered Taft a position on the Supreme Court and Taft turned it down a third time. It was for associate justice not chief justice. Also Taft's wife wanted him to be president. He also liked the idea of being president himself and it was a real possibility.
He was reluctant to run for president and suggested that other men would be better for the job. When he decided to go for it, he initially didn't want Roosevelt to fire post masters and internal revenue collectors who didn't support Taft for president, but later decided they should either support him or keep quiet if they wanted to keep their government jobs.
In 1906, black soldiers stationed in Brownsville, Texas were accused of shooting white people. Roosevelt dismissed 160 black men including six Medal of Honor recipients and others with distinguished records. This meant they wouldn't receive pensions and could be destitute in their old age. As secretary of war, Taft carried out Roosevelt's orders.
Joseph Foraker, who had helped Taft early in his career but was now opposed to his presidency, made this incident a cause célèbre. There was a senate hearing. No one ever found out who was responsible for the shooting. Everyone agreed however that most of the men dismissed, if not all, were innocent.
Taft spent a lot of time investigating but didn't find out what really happened. The matter worried him for more than two years. He was eventually able to joke about it. When a black head waiter at one of his dinner parties proved incompetent, Taft joked that it was the Twenty-fifth Infantry getting even.
While traveling through Yellowstone, Taft accidentally played a game of whist on Sunday (he thought it was Saturday) and his wife was upset that he played cards on Sunday. Taft was worried this would be publicized and cause a controversy, but it didn't get out.
Taft gained a reputation for being Good Old Bill: big, jolly, easily influenced, sometimes lazy. A Supreme Court justice joked that he was so polite he once arose in a streetcar to give his seat to three women.
Taft got the Republican nomination for president in 1908 thanks to Roosevelt's endorsement and he easily beat the Democratic nominee William Jennings Bryan who made the mistake of saying the only way to stop railroads from being a monopoly was public ownership, which many considered socialism.
Taft didn't want campaign contributions from big corporations, fearing how it would look. He got smaller contributions from smaller businessmen and wound up with 1.6 million, less than the 2.2 million Roosevelt raised last election.
As he campaigned for himself, Taft had to read his speeches since he had no gift for oratory. His speeches were often too long. However, he had an infectious laugh that the audience couldn't help but join in. It started with a silent trembling of his stomach. Then he would pause his reading and a slow grin would spread across his face. Then came a kind of gulp that seemed to escape involuntarily. Then he'd laugh and the audience would join in.
He rarely drank alcohol as it didn't agree with him. He believed each locality should decide for itself whether to prohibit alcohol. Prohibitionists didn't like that. His Unitarianism made some think he was disqualified for the presidency. Some thought he was a Catholic because he met with the Pope. Foraker had been caught taking bribes from Standard Oil and Taft had to distance himself from him after Foraker had started cozying up to him again. Some thought Taft was a "dude" (an elitist) because he played golf.
Roosevelt was only 50 when he left the presidency. Taft was slightly older entering it. Roosevelt left to Africa for a hunting trip and said he planned to write a biography about his good friend Taft.
To deal with the deficit, Taft maneuvered congress into a situation in which they had to accept instituting a corporate tax and asking the states for a constitutional amendment to allow income tax. He also managed to lower the tariff, although not by as much as he would have liked.
Unfortunately the tariff reduction didn't lower the cost of living for the average person. The tariff on wool remained the same, but newspapers claimed it had risen and stores used this as an excuse to raise prices. The tariff on a few items increased, although it was an overall reduction.
In May 1909, Nellie had a stroke. It took her months to recover and her speech was affected so she couldn't attend social affairs for a long time.
Like Roosevelt, Taft was a friend of environmental conservation. However, he wanted everything to be done legally. He got Congress to pass laws making Roosevelt's setting aside of natural resources legal. He pushed through Roosevelt initiatives like creating a postal saving system, railroad reforms, building up the navy, and improving rivers and harbors. He followed Roosevelt's suggestion for who to appoint as chief justice of the Supreme Court (he ended up making six appointments in all, making the majority of the Supreme Court men he picked). However, a misunderstanding would end up forever driving a wedge between the two.
Secretary of Interior Ballinger was accused of corruption regarding coal lands in Alaska by the chief of the US Forest Service. Taft defended Ballinger. Ultimately, the accusations proved groundless, but the controversy hurt Taft's reputation and his relationship with Roosevelt.
One of Taft's weaknesses was being content to let facts speak for themselves rather than defending himself. His silence on matters allowed his enemies to make unrefuted insinuations. By the time the truth finally came out, Taft's reputation had already been sullied.
One of the reasons given for Roosevelt's sudden hostility is Taft dismissed ambassador Henry White. When Taft learned of this, he was surprised because he had replaced White with Roosevelt's friend Robert Bacon. Taft had always done what he thought Roosevelt wanted him to do, but Roosevelt decided to believe the rumors spread by Taft's enemies instead.
When Roosevelt returned to America, Taft invited him to the White House, but Roosevelt declined. They did end up meeting in person later. Roosevelt was nice to Taft's face while he plotted against him behind his back. Unfortunately, this book ends on a cliffhanger. We'll have to read volume 2 to find out what happens next.
January 14, 2024
"I apologize for writing this review as it may have hurt your feelings" - more than likely Taft if he was writing this review. The first volume covers Taft's family history up until his meeting with the former president, who just returned from Europe.
There is as much as Taft tries to deny it a large difference in his presidency from TRs. Taft seems to make a return to the form of a less aggressive executive. This is a symptom of his judicial background. He somehow falls up during his pre presidential career, taking a judicial post that he is not qualified for with his mind always on the Chief Justice spot.
His dream of being Chief Justice is a unique one. He declines multiple times a seat on the bench, which more than likely he could have worked his way to the Chief Judtice spot from those positions. He also constantly rolls over to whatever his family thinks he should do.
During his presidency, he does pass some great legislation like the corporate tax and gets started with the personal income tax amendment to the consitution. The Payne- Aldrich tarrif was better, and it was something that TR himself didn't want to tackle. The postal service savings wasn't the best idea as the federal reserve was mentioned, but Taft called this extreme.
Taft appointed an amazing 6 justices to the SCOTUS. Again, he was conservative in these picks and wanted to appoint justices to uphold a "dead document" type of view as he thought the executive had taken too many extra steps. He was upset with the age of the justices but at the same time appointed a 70 year old justice. He acknowledged this hypocrisy and appointed the judtice any way. They would do immense harm to the New Deal programs in the future.
The book is vastly detailed. It's broken in sections where information is compounded and easy to read. The author does take a biased view towards Taft but not so much that it affects the book.
Book: 5/5
President Rating: pending
There is as much as Taft tries to deny it a large difference in his presidency from TRs. Taft seems to make a return to the form of a less aggressive executive. This is a symptom of his judicial background. He somehow falls up during his pre presidential career, taking a judicial post that he is not qualified for with his mind always on the Chief Justice spot.
His dream of being Chief Justice is a unique one. He declines multiple times a seat on the bench, which more than likely he could have worked his way to the Chief Judtice spot from those positions. He also constantly rolls over to whatever his family thinks he should do.
During his presidency, he does pass some great legislation like the corporate tax and gets started with the personal income tax amendment to the consitution. The Payne- Aldrich tarrif was better, and it was something that TR himself didn't want to tackle. The postal service savings wasn't the best idea as the federal reserve was mentioned, but Taft called this extreme.
Taft appointed an amazing 6 justices to the SCOTUS. Again, he was conservative in these picks and wanted to appoint justices to uphold a "dead document" type of view as he thought the executive had taken too many extra steps. He was upset with the age of the justices but at the same time appointed a 70 year old justice. He acknowledged this hypocrisy and appointed the judtice any way. They would do immense harm to the New Deal programs in the future.
The book is vastly detailed. It's broken in sections where information is compounded and easy to read. The author does take a biased view towards Taft but not so much that it affects the book.
Book: 5/5
President Rating: pending
January 15, 2018
Pringle's "The Life and Time of William Howard Taft" was most useful to me as source material for the biography I was writing on Associate Justice James McReynolds, who served on the Court during the same period. It was a time of great social change in our history and the cases which came before the court cover a range from labor unrest to free speech and the extent of executive power of the President.
Taft’s career had already taken him from Solicitor General of the United States, chairman of the commission which developed the civilian government of the Philippines, Secretary of War under President Theodore Roosevelt and President of the United States. He had been defeated in his search for a second term and returned to his alma mater , Yale, to join the law school faculty. President Harding then appointed him Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
With tremendous vitality, the new Chief Justice led the weekly conferences in which petitions to the Court were chosen, then assigned by him.
Taft then chose 3 justices, Van Devanter, McReynolds and Sutherland to revise the Judicial Code of the United States, which became known as “The Judges’ Bill.”
It was Taft who ordered the building we know today as the majestic white “marble palace” which would be “of beauty and importance suitable for its use as the permanent home of the Supreme Court of the United States.”
Throughout his life, Taft had written frequent letters to his brother, Horace, and it is fascinating to read his comments as he functions with a court of only 6 members, as he recognizes Holmes’ failing abilities, and as he refers to Hoover, Stone, Brandeis and Holmes as Progressives.
For many readers, this period would be of little interest, but for me it was an excellent source reflecting the life of the members pf the Court during that span of time in a rapidly changing period in our history.
Taft’s career had already taken him from Solicitor General of the United States, chairman of the commission which developed the civilian government of the Philippines, Secretary of War under President Theodore Roosevelt and President of the United States. He had been defeated in his search for a second term and returned to his alma mater , Yale, to join the law school faculty. President Harding then appointed him Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
With tremendous vitality, the new Chief Justice led the weekly conferences in which petitions to the Court were chosen, then assigned by him.
Taft then chose 3 justices, Van Devanter, McReynolds and Sutherland to revise the Judicial Code of the United States, which became known as “The Judges’ Bill.”
It was Taft who ordered the building we know today as the majestic white “marble palace” which would be “of beauty and importance suitable for its use as the permanent home of the Supreme Court of the United States.”
Throughout his life, Taft had written frequent letters to his brother, Horace, and it is fascinating to read his comments as he functions with a court of only 6 members, as he recognizes Holmes’ failing abilities, and as he refers to Hoover, Stone, Brandeis and Holmes as Progressives.
For many readers, this period would be of little interest, but for me it was an excellent source reflecting the life of the members pf the Court during that span of time in a rapidly changing period in our history.
July 12, 2013
I had trouble finding a William Howard Taft biography that was either nothing more than a brief sketch of his life or that was an extensive tome covering a small sliver of his career. I finally settled on this 2 volume work by Henry Pringle which did a good job of covering his early life and his career as judge, governor of the Philippines, Secretary of War, President, and Chief Justice, amongst a few other roles.
I found this book interesting in that it was copyright 1939, so the work began shortly after his death in 1930. The author covered much his life with snippets from personal correspondence both from him and about him and did a good job of covering several aspects of both his personal and civil life. However, a few main themes carried the day, especially in volume II. One topic covered in depth was his relationship with Theodore Roosevelt. The author had written a previous book on Roosevelt and in his writing of this book, I sometimes wondered if he remembered that this was a biography about Taft, not Teddy. He also seemed to be obsessed with Taft court rulings that related to labor law. Not being extremely interested in this topic myself, I had to keep pressing forward through the Supreme Court years.
As for Taft's presidency, Pringle continually emphasized that Taft's interest in proper procedure made him in ineffective executive. It is interesting to see the discussion of Taft's post-Great War opinions and the author's view of the events that unfolded from 1914 to 1920, especially because the author had no knowledge of the tremendous conflict that was about to erupt throughout all of Europe and the rest of the world. Reading his views from the perspective of a contemporary was absorbing, but I would certainly value a more seasoned opinion of Taft's legacy with the long-term results of his presidency in mind.
I found this book interesting in that it was copyright 1939, so the work began shortly after his death in 1930. The author covered much his life with snippets from personal correspondence both from him and about him and did a good job of covering several aspects of both his personal and civil life. However, a few main themes carried the day, especially in volume II. One topic covered in depth was his relationship with Theodore Roosevelt. The author had written a previous book on Roosevelt and in his writing of this book, I sometimes wondered if he remembered that this was a biography about Taft, not Teddy. He also seemed to be obsessed with Taft court rulings that related to labor law. Not being extremely interested in this topic myself, I had to keep pressing forward through the Supreme Court years.
As for Taft's presidency, Pringle continually emphasized that Taft's interest in proper procedure made him in ineffective executive. It is interesting to see the discussion of Taft's post-Great War opinions and the author's view of the events that unfolded from 1914 to 1920, especially because the author had no knowledge of the tremendous conflict that was about to erupt throughout all of Europe and the rest of the world. Reading his views from the perspective of a contemporary was absorbing, but I would certainly value a more seasoned opinion of Taft's legacy with the long-term results of his presidency in mind.
August 19, 2014
This book is dated but it's still acknowledged as one of the best biographies of William Howard Taft. At first I found the writing style and organization (jumps in chronology) convoluted, but as I read further into the book I got accustomed to it and enjoyed the read. Like many others, Pringle writes about Taft as someone who was 1) really not suited to politics, although he was a hard worker and could be an effective administrator, and 2) eclipsed by the enormous personality that was Theodore Roosevelt. It's doubtful that Taft would have become president without Roosevelt, but it's also likely that Taft's administration would have been more successful had TR not sought the spotlight so much during Taft's presidency.
May 27, 2012
Enjoyed this very much. Great look into the motivations of an often forgotten about President.
February 24, 2020
This first volume of Henry F. Pringle's work on our 27th president takes us from William Howard
Taft's birth n 1857 until midpoint in his presidential term in 1911. Taft was in my opinion unique
among our presidents in that he never wanted to be president. He was elevated to the job by his
charismatic predecessor Theodore Roosevelt. Why did Taft run? Out of a sense of obligation to his
chief.
Taft wanted to be a judge and the summit of his ambition was the Supreme Court. After his Yale
education where he was a member of the Skull&Bones society, Taft settled in his native Cincinnati
where he practiced law. He held some local judicial offices and then in 1890 was appointed Solicitor
General by President Benjamin Harrison. Two years there and he was made a federal judge.
Taft was in that post when his fellow Ohioan President William McKinley and his War Secretary
Elihu Root appointed him as Governor General of the newly acquired Phillipine Islands. As McKinley and Root
put it civil government had to be established even while a nasty rebellion was going on.
Rebellion or not Taft succeeded. It must have pleased his lawyer's soul to write a whole civil code
for the archipelago. He also carried on some rather radical land reform policies, especially for the
conservative Republican he was. The Catholic friars held a lot of the best lands and it took some
negotiations with the Vatican to make them give them up. He also and this was radical in those
times mixed and mingled with the non-white citizens he was ruling. All in all author Pringle
gives him high marks.
Taft was made Secretary of War by Theodore Roosevelt and Roosevelt who was enormously popular
pulled the Republican party strings and Taft was nominated for president in 1908. He beat William
Jennings Bryan who was running for the third and last time decisively in the popular vote and the
Electoral College.
Two things were wrong however with Bill Taft. He ran once for a local judicial office and that was
the sum total of his electoral experience. He had not a political bone in his body. Two things got
him in hot water. First the Payne-Aldrich tariff which raised duties on imports pretty across the
board. Taft said it was the best tariff bill ever passed. He got in hot water over that.
Secondly an Interior Department employee named Louis Glavis made charges against Secretary
Richard Ballinger that some shady goings on there regarding public lands being given over for
private development. That one was also a public relations disaster. Taft took a legalistic approach
without considering the politics in the slightest.
This volume ends with a brooding Theodore Roosevelt going big game hunting in Africa but missing the White House.
Pringle wrote a rather cynically toned biography of TR where he said Roosevelt was a phny progressive and opportunist. Pringle who was from the political left still admired Taft for his
honesty although he wished he was more politically attuned. We've had few presidents who were
less political than Taft.
Taft's birth n 1857 until midpoint in his presidential term in 1911. Taft was in my opinion unique
among our presidents in that he never wanted to be president. He was elevated to the job by his
charismatic predecessor Theodore Roosevelt. Why did Taft run? Out of a sense of obligation to his
chief.
Taft wanted to be a judge and the summit of his ambition was the Supreme Court. After his Yale
education where he was a member of the Skull&Bones society, Taft settled in his native Cincinnati
where he practiced law. He held some local judicial offices and then in 1890 was appointed Solicitor
General by President Benjamin Harrison. Two years there and he was made a federal judge.
Taft was in that post when his fellow Ohioan President William McKinley and his War Secretary
Elihu Root appointed him as Governor General of the newly acquired Phillipine Islands. As McKinley and Root
put it civil government had to be established even while a nasty rebellion was going on.
Rebellion or not Taft succeeded. It must have pleased his lawyer's soul to write a whole civil code
for the archipelago. He also carried on some rather radical land reform policies, especially for the
conservative Republican he was. The Catholic friars held a lot of the best lands and it took some
negotiations with the Vatican to make them give them up. He also and this was radical in those
times mixed and mingled with the non-white citizens he was ruling. All in all author Pringle
gives him high marks.
Taft was made Secretary of War by Theodore Roosevelt and Roosevelt who was enormously popular
pulled the Republican party strings and Taft was nominated for president in 1908. He beat William
Jennings Bryan who was running for the third and last time decisively in the popular vote and the
Electoral College.
Two things were wrong however with Bill Taft. He ran once for a local judicial office and that was
the sum total of his electoral experience. He had not a political bone in his body. Two things got
him in hot water. First the Payne-Aldrich tariff which raised duties on imports pretty across the
board. Taft said it was the best tariff bill ever passed. He got in hot water over that.
Secondly an Interior Department employee named Louis Glavis made charges against Secretary
Richard Ballinger that some shady goings on there regarding public lands being given over for
private development. That one was also a public relations disaster. Taft took a legalistic approach
without considering the politics in the slightest.
This volume ends with a brooding Theodore Roosevelt going big game hunting in Africa but missing the White House.
Pringle wrote a rather cynically toned biography of TR where he said Roosevelt was a phny progressive and opportunist. Pringle who was from the political left still admired Taft for his
honesty although he wished he was more politically attuned. We've had few presidents who were
less political than Taft.
May 12, 2024
3.5 Stars
This volume 1 of a 2 volume bio of William Howard Taft was written by Henry Pringle in 1939, less than a decade after Taft’s death. It covers his life from birth in Cincinnati to the midterm of his presidency in 1910. Surprisingly, the writing is quite modern and very readable.
Supported by hundreds, if not, thousands of letters between Taft and his wife, brothers, other family members, friends & associates, Pringle has been able to give the reader an excellent portrait of who Taft was as a person.
Nicknamed, ‘The Big Lub’, as a child, Taft was always chubby & ballooned to as much as 350 pounds while President . He graduated second in his class at Yale, passed the Ohio bar, and began his law practice, which was quickly turned into a lifetime of public service.
Taft’s resume of public offices is quite impressive, especially in light of what Pringle called “his tendency to procrastination” and “a weakness for permitting time or circumstances or other people to make the decisions he should have made himself “. These positions included: assistant prosecutor, local collector of internal revenue, superior court judge, solicitor general of the U.S., federal court of appeals judge (all by age 35), President of Philippine commission, Sec. of War under TR, acting Sec. of State, governor of Cuba, President, & later (volume 2) Chief Justice of SCOTUS.
If he was vulnerable to ‘lethargy’ , how then did Taft achieve such success? Pringle offers: “ Taft had a fine reputation for intelligence, no vices whatever, absolute trustworthiness, a rigid conception of legal ethics, & a gift for sifting truth from prejudiced statements.”
The strength of Pringle’s bio is the detail he provides, although at times he goes too far. (He spends 45 pages discussing the controversy over alleged fraud within his cabinet over Alaska coal fields. I nearly became comatose)
Another problem is his constant casting of aspersions on TR, which I found conflicting somewhat with a recent read of Edmond Morris’ bio of Teddy. Imagine my surprise when I discovered Pringle is known best for a bio of TR. Of course, he won a Pulitzer for it in 1932!
It becomes apparent that Taft’s mediocre reputation as President is as much a result of having to follow a human dynamo like Roosevelt as to his reluctance to run for President when his lifelong dream was the Supreme Court. Taft’s wife supplied the ambition Taft lacked while his mother cautioned Shakespeare: “Heavy is the head that wears the crown”. He should have listened to his mom.
This volume 1 of a 2 volume bio of William Howard Taft was written by Henry Pringle in 1939, less than a decade after Taft’s death. It covers his life from birth in Cincinnati to the midterm of his presidency in 1910. Surprisingly, the writing is quite modern and very readable.
Supported by hundreds, if not, thousands of letters between Taft and his wife, brothers, other family members, friends & associates, Pringle has been able to give the reader an excellent portrait of who Taft was as a person.
Nicknamed, ‘The Big Lub’, as a child, Taft was always chubby & ballooned to as much as 350 pounds while President . He graduated second in his class at Yale, passed the Ohio bar, and began his law practice, which was quickly turned into a lifetime of public service.
Taft’s resume of public offices is quite impressive, especially in light of what Pringle called “his tendency to procrastination” and “a weakness for permitting time or circumstances or other people to make the decisions he should have made himself “. These positions included: assistant prosecutor, local collector of internal revenue, superior court judge, solicitor general of the U.S., federal court of appeals judge (all by age 35), President of Philippine commission, Sec. of War under TR, acting Sec. of State, governor of Cuba, President, & later (volume 2) Chief Justice of SCOTUS.
If he was vulnerable to ‘lethargy’ , how then did Taft achieve such success? Pringle offers: “ Taft had a fine reputation for intelligence, no vices whatever, absolute trustworthiness, a rigid conception of legal ethics, & a gift for sifting truth from prejudiced statements.”
The strength of Pringle’s bio is the detail he provides, although at times he goes too far. (He spends 45 pages discussing the controversy over alleged fraud within his cabinet over Alaska coal fields. I nearly became comatose)
Another problem is his constant casting of aspersions on TR, which I found conflicting somewhat with a recent read of Edmond Morris’ bio of Teddy. Imagine my surprise when I discovered Pringle is known best for a bio of TR. Of course, he won a Pulitzer for it in 1932!
It becomes apparent that Taft’s mediocre reputation as President is as much a result of having to follow a human dynamo like Roosevelt as to his reluctance to run for President when his lifelong dream was the Supreme Court. Taft’s wife supplied the ambition Taft lacked while his mother cautioned Shakespeare: “Heavy is the head that wears the crown”. He should have listened to his mom.
October 18, 2018
It is with relish that I complete William Howard Taft - Volume 1. Here we meet the large, jovial man who would become our 27th President. He we learn of the solid young man at Yale - solid - careful - liked by all. He becomes a young lawyer and again thru solid, hard yet non-extraordinary work he becomes a successful circuit court judge. His wish to excel and be recognized for higher court office was put on hold as he oversaw the turn of the Phillippines upon our acquisition after the Spanish-American War. During his long tenure, he replaced the law of the Military on the Islands with the rule of law. He was fair. He was honorable. He was beloved. But it was the call of the larger than life friend Teddy that ultimately brought him into government as the Secretary of War. That started his path towards being crowded TR's heir apparent, and ultimately the 27th President. The first volume ends with the darkening of storm clouds approximately half way thru his term when Teddy returns from Africa, and things appear to be different now...
Very well written - and leaves one very ready to dive into Volume 2 - where the real meat of controversy promises to be discussed. A worthy read to those who wish to know more about the character of the men who have held our countries highest office.
Very well written - and leaves one very ready to dive into Volume 2 - where the real meat of controversy promises to be discussed. A worthy read to those who wish to know more about the character of the men who have held our countries highest office.
July 23, 2020
Taft isn't exactly high on many must-read lists of presidential biographies. He only had one term, and he didn't particularly like being president. He had his eye on a greater prize (at least, to him): the supreme court. I did look for other biographies, but there aren't many to choose from, at least not exhaustive ones that truly covers the subject. Pringle's is definitely exhaustive with 1000 pages between the two volumes. It's well-written at times but also written in a different style, having been written in 1939, just 9 years after Taft died.
You really would have to enjoy presidential history to enjoy this one. But I enjoyed reading of his years as governor in the Philipines, then Secretary of War. Next as Roosevelt's hand-picked successor. Finally, he came to his ultimate goal: Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, on which he sat from 1921 to 1930. The first volume covers through the first two years of his presidency.
All in all, not for the faint of heart. But an interesting read if you are into presidential history and want to fill in the gaps between the more interesting characters of TR and Woodrow Wilson.
You really would have to enjoy presidential history to enjoy this one. But I enjoyed reading of his years as governor in the Philipines, then Secretary of War. Next as Roosevelt's hand-picked successor. Finally, he came to his ultimate goal: Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, on which he sat from 1921 to 1930. The first volume covers through the first two years of his presidency.
All in all, not for the faint of heart. But an interesting read if you are into presidential history and want to fill in the gaps between the more interesting characters of TR and Woodrow Wilson.
July 26, 2023
Imagine my dismay when I finished the book seeing it had only covered up until 1910- the beginning of Taft's term as President. Nothing about the rest of his presidency, the 1912 election which he lost, or his years as Supreme Court Justice of the United States. Only when I entered this book into Goodreads did I discover there is a Volume 2 of Taft's biography by the same author.
Interesting to read about Taft's childhood in Cincinnati, his college years at Yale, then his pre-presidential jobs as circuit court judge, US Governor-General of the Philippines and Secretary of War.
The driest part was his first year as President, which the book devoted about 90% to the subject of tariffs.
Taft's biggest problem was his subservience to Theodore Roosevelt, even while Taft was President. He did not seem to have confidence in his own decisions; always thinking "What would Teddy have done?"
I'm looking forward to volume 2.
Interesting to read about Taft's childhood in Cincinnati, his college years at Yale, then his pre-presidential jobs as circuit court judge, US Governor-General of the Philippines and Secretary of War.
The driest part was his first year as President, which the book devoted about 90% to the subject of tariffs.
Taft's biggest problem was his subservience to Theodore Roosevelt, even while Taft was President. He did not seem to have confidence in his own decisions; always thinking "What would Teddy have done?"
I'm looking forward to volume 2.
February 20, 2021
I didn’t realize when starting this that there were two volumes totaling over 1000 pages.
While his life story is compelling for its diversity, there is far to much material unless you lean to legal history. The last quarter of the work is an in-depth review of almost 100 year old cases. Skipped a lot of this.
That said, the author wove events of his life with the events of the times which resulted in a picture that was personal and relatable. The exception was the lack of the story of how Taft supposedly got stuck in the White House bathtub. If that was a true event the author clearly felt it was undignified to report it.
The love-hate relationship with Roosevelt is remarkable and puts TR in a poor light.
If you are looking for a fair overview of Taft’s life, this will provide it, but be wary of the length.
While his life story is compelling for its diversity, there is far to much material unless you lean to legal history. The last quarter of the work is an in-depth review of almost 100 year old cases. Skipped a lot of this.
That said, the author wove events of his life with the events of the times which resulted in a picture that was personal and relatable. The exception was the lack of the story of how Taft supposedly got stuck in the White House bathtub. If that was a true event the author clearly felt it was undignified to report it.
The love-hate relationship with Roosevelt is remarkable and puts TR in a poor light.
If you are looking for a fair overview of Taft’s life, this will provide it, but be wary of the length.
September 28, 2017
Quite possibly the best biography ever written about William Howard Taft, and certainly one of the best presidential biographies ever rewritten.
Henry F. Pringle, a formidable biographer, strives to see to the years of William Howard Taft as accurately as he can, honestly in many parts when it comes to covering such turbulent measures as the new tariff bill. He is not so serious as to miss out on the opportunity to be playful in his writing, which is fun to happen upon when studying such complicated matters as comes in the tenure of Taft's presidency. It's clear that he was one of the great presidential biographies, and if you can find a copy of this and the second volume (most likely in a college library, as I did at the Ventura College library), it's worth the considerable time.
Henry F. Pringle, a formidable biographer, strives to see to the years of William Howard Taft as accurately as he can, honestly in many parts when it comes to covering such turbulent measures as the new tariff bill. He is not so serious as to miss out on the opportunity to be playful in his writing, which is fun to happen upon when studying such complicated matters as comes in the tenure of Taft's presidency. It's clear that he was one of the great presidential biographies, and if you can find a copy of this and the second volume (most likely in a college library, as I did at the Ventura College library), it's worth the considerable time.
July 7, 2020
I'll do a more in depth review after I read Vol. 2 later this year. This was a pretty good start on William Howard Taft though. For about the first 300 pages, I was flying through with no issues. Taft seemed like a good guy, very jovial, with good intentions. Sure, he benefited quite a bit from who his father was and the author really downplayed it, but aside from the rare exception like Andrew Jackson that was pretty common in all the presidents. After Taft becomes president, this book really slowed down, with a lot of time spent on a scandal that (so far) not much has really resulted and some tariff battles that really sucked the joy of reading (and life) out of me. Still, there was enough good here I'm not dreading Volume 2 very much.
October 4, 2018
This review is for both volumes.
This is probably the most detailed biography of Taft, if not the most recommended. But there are not that many biographies available on Taft. The latest one at the time of this review, which I have not yet had a chance to read, is by Jeffrey Rosen and is just over 200 pages. Other biographies are still less than 300 pages. At times this biography seems more of a biography on Teddy Roosevelt, and at times excessively so, to highlight Roosevelt's influence on Taft's political fortunes. Overall, I did enjoy reading both of Pringle's volumes and am happy to have it in my personal library of presidents. This biography was first published in the 1930's, and a fresh and detailed biography is long overdue.
This is probably the most detailed biography of Taft, if not the most recommended. But there are not that many biographies available on Taft. The latest one at the time of this review, which I have not yet had a chance to read, is by Jeffrey Rosen and is just over 200 pages. Other biographies are still less than 300 pages. At times this biography seems more of a biography on Teddy Roosevelt, and at times excessively so, to highlight Roosevelt's influence on Taft's political fortunes. Overall, I did enjoy reading both of Pringle's volumes and am happy to have it in my personal library of presidents. This biography was first published in the 1930's, and a fresh and detailed biography is long overdue.
January 11, 2019
Poorly organized and repetitive. Fails to distinguish between minor and major events (for example, gives as much attention to Valentine's Day poems as to court cases). By over-relying on the Taft family archive, fails to answer questions about Taft's rapid rise to local and then national prominence (answers that may have been found in other contemporaneous sources).
November 24, 2018
This first half of Pringle's biography of Taft is a bit dry in spots, but still worth reading presidential history is of interest to you.
April 29, 2019
Really good book. A little tedious on some detailed descriptions of issues during his presidency.
August 10, 2019
See my review under Volume 2
February 29, 2016
Very interesting. The author makes Taft like a very intelligent and likeable guy that everything came easy to him until his Presidency. Which is hard to believe when looking at his accomplishments. The author only hints at it but it appears having a well connected political father helped him initially.
December 23, 2008
Wonderful insight into how not to play politics. Always come up with original ideas rather than trying to improve or run other administrations programs. Most importantly - a theme that runs through all of the presidential bios I have read - pick your team with care.
July 1, 2010
A great biography about one of America's most forgotten President's.
June 25, 2016
See my review of the second volume.
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