Political Issues & Outlooks

The Collected Works of William Howard Taft #2

by William Howard Taft, David H. Burton (Editor)

The second volume of The Collected Works of William Howard Taft is dedicated to the speeches and writings, which displayed his thinking in the autumn of 1908 and the following winter. It was at this time that he was campaigning for the presidency against the well-known William Jennings Bryan, and in Taft's writings is evidence of the contrast in style between Taft and Bryan and Taft and his predecessor, Teddy Roosevelt as well. Although uncomfortable with campaigning, he thoughtfully addresses the concerns of the day that framed the election including race, the Phillipines, and socialism. Political Issues and Outlooks also contains speeches made after the election and leading up to his inauguration as the 27th President of the United States. Introduced by a commentary from the general series editor Professor David Burton, the second volume of The Collected Works of William Howard Taft is a revealing look at the machinations of United States politics at the beginning of the twentieth century and and an insightful glimpse into the minds of one of the century'smost influential political archtects.

231 pages, Hardcover

First published August 15, 2001

About the author

William Howard Taft was an American politician, the twenty-seventh President of the United States, the tenth Chief Justice of the United States, a leader of the progressive conservative wing of the Republican Party in the early 20th century, a pioneer in international arbitration and staunch advocate of world peace verging on pacifism, and scion of a leading political family, the Tafts, of Ohio.

Taft served as the Solicitor General of the United States, a federal judge, Governor-General of the Philippines, and Secretary of War before being nominated for President in the 1908 Republican National Convention with the backing of his predecessor and close friend Theodore Roosevelt.

His presidency was characterized by trust-busting, strengthening the Interstate Commerce Commission, expanding the civil service, establishing a better postal system, and promoting world peace. Roosevelt broke with Taft in 1911, charging Taft was too reactionary. Taft and the conservatives were alarmed at Roosevelt's attacks on the judiciary, and took control of the party machinery. Taft defeated Roosevelt for the Republican nomination in a bruising battle in 1912 that forced Roosevelt out of the GOP and left Taft's people in charge for decades. William Howard Taft remains the only U.S. President to finish third in a bid for reelection to a second consecutive term. During World War I he helped set national labor policy that reduced strikes and generated union support for the national cause. In 1921, he became Chief Justice. As President and Chief Justice he helped make the federal courts, especially the Supreme Court, much more powerful in shaping national policy. To date he is the only former president to serve on the Supreme Court.

Reviews

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A straightforward collection of campaign speeches that give some insight into Taft’s thinking as he pursued an office he didn’t really want.