William Howard Taft: A Great American Life

by Walter Stahr

William Howard Taft was perhaps not a great president, although his limited view of the president’s role looks better today than it did at the time. But Taft’s true claim to greatness lies in his work before and after the White five decades of selfless public service culminating as one of the most transformational chief justices in American history.

Taft was the only president to have spent much of his career as a judge, first in the state court system in Ohio, then as a federal judge on the Sixth Circuit. He dreamed of serving on the United States Supreme Court and yet, more than once, he declined a seat in order to continue his work as America’s first civilian governor in the Philippines. When he returned to Washington, he took a place in Roosevelt’s cabinet, effectively serving as deputy president before winning the presidency in his own right in 1908.

Tariffs. Immigration. Labor unrest. Colonial possessions. Free trade with Canada. Civil war in Mexico. The national deficit. Government efficiency. These were just some of the issues Taft faced in the White House. After his disastrous defeat in the 1912 election, due in part to Roosevelt’s decision to challenge him for the Republican nomination, Taft returned to private life, although often involved in public causes, such as the fight for the League of Nations. But all this was only a prelude to a second act as the most important chief justice since John Marshall, changing the very way the Court worked by securing it the power to select those cases it wished to decide.

A carefully researched and gracefully written biography, displaying a deep understanding of both political history and human nature, William Howard Taft thoughtfully reassesses what makes a great American public servant worth remembering.

Genres: Biography, Presidents, History, American History, Nonfiction, Politics

688 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication November 10, 2026

Reviews

[Edie]

Results instead of promises accurately describes the 72 years of The Honorable William Howard Taft’s (WHT). His accomplishments are as vast as the gentleman’s build & extend from his home state of Ohio to The White House & The US Supreme Court to across the globe.

No reader needs a primer on our three branches of government, but too often WHT is written off as a one-term President from 1909-1913 & few recall his enormous impact on our judicial system (Chief Justice of The US Supreme Court) or as a legislative lawmaker in his appointed role as the first Governor General for the US in The Philippines from 1901-1903.

In comparison to present day, WHT would hardly be termed a moderate conservative. He earns my admiration as a leader, an academic & a citizen that saw not one class, one color nor one political philosophy.

I offer only my view of these pages, but I highlighted five themes & returned to read again. They can be debated by any reader, but WHT didn’t shy away from discussions or disagreements & decide for yourself.

First, the structure itself of our US Supreme Court Building, the design/efficiency of their docket & how cases are distributed can be traced back to WHT. While history will always refer to him as our 23rd President, his spirit & legacy remain as our Chief Justice. Legal minds will be impressed at the high percentage rate of unanimous decisions during his time there.

Second, I add respect right alongside his record of results because his family’s legacy of public service was instilled at a young age. He was loyal to his faith as a Unitarian & he was a fierce critic of the KKK when they not only bred hatred for Blacks but included the Jewish & Catholic faiths.

Third, the early 1900s weren’t promoting any minorities & women were included. WHT supported higher education & increased opportunity for women (Caucasian at least). I can’t directly quote the book, but there is a line that speaks of how the success of the right to vote for women would better their daily lives. His own Daughter matriculated at Bryn Mawr College & later served as an administrator there during her life. He spoke to local union groups & said if he had taken a different career path, he would be a member. While serving in the Philippines, he had the progressive opinion that women that worked in the sex trade would not be punished, but instead seen & treated so they might remain healthy at least. In 1903? This couldn’t happen in 2026! He proudly served as a trustee for 21 years at the historically Black university, Hampton University.

Fourth, conservation & promoting natural beauty wherever he resided was a priority. In D.C., his Wife led the placement of Japan’s generous gift of the cherry trees that still blossom to this day. WHT sought to limit development & encourage agriculture through tax breaks. Forest Conservationist Gifford Pinchot (later a Governor in my home state where I was born) traveled from the US to the Philippines to offer advice on the preservation of the many islands & forests. When our current news focuses on The Lincoln Memorial, WHT is who chaired the committee that selected where it would be located, what materials & what architecture it would feature.

Finally, open a map & actually look at the entire US plus the number of seas that WHT traveled while in his three roles & especially as Civilian Governor General. Now consider what it is like covering those regions now in 2026 & reconsider WHT & Family were traveling during 1900-1930. While other influences (governing bodies) have come & gone in The Philippines since WHT served there, I think his leadership provided better times.

I am fortunate to have a childhood friend who has homes on both Guam & The Philippines. I was posing questions to him by messenger as I read & discovered his condominium is located on Taft Avenue in The Philippines. The impact of WHT is still present & celebrated on this prosperous location in Manila.

Without hesitation, this is a 5 Star Read. I can’t help but think what a tremendous source this book will be in years/decades to come for students & fans of history in both the US & our world.

[Marie]

I am working on expanding my reading of historical figures, especially those in the United States, so this book's appearance on NetGalley came at an opportune time. As the author lays out quite well early on in the book, Taft is one of those presidents who tends to get grouped in with other less popular figures of historical biographies of presidents butressed between the two Roosevelts. In all honesty, before reading this book, I could not have told you a single thing about Taft, which is wild because I had to take ADVANCED US History in high school.

One thing that I really enjoyed about this book was Stahr's writing. It was deeply informative while being conversational. Which is not only impressive, but impressive because Taft was a bit of a dry man. As a lawyer and an originalist by nature (i.e., interpreting the Constitution as it was originally written), when discussing Taft's career and opinions, Stahr was able to present that information without boring me. Now, did it get a little bogged down with legalities sometimes? Sure, but I'm not a lawyer, so comprehension of these parts at any degree above a 75% seems unrealistic given that this is a biography of a lawyer.

I did feel that it was odd that Taft served as both President and Chief Justice, and he is so obscured in popular history. Perhaps it was because he was a one-term president, although so was Calvin Coolidge, and I have definitely heard of him. I think this fact highlights the importance of this work, and I think that Stahr did a comprehensive job of evaluating Taft's entire life and career.

One thing that bothered me throughout the book is that there would be periods of time where Taft's racist views would show, such as believing that Filipinos weren't ready to govern themselves, and Stahr seemed to steer away from the complexities of Taft's character in these instances, which, in some respects, lessened a holistic view of Taft as a person. This was particularly true in the discussion of Taft's links to the eugenics movement. Now, Stahr does make it clear that there is no evidence to support that Taft was involved in the movement itself. However, what was not explored is whether Taft shared ideas similar to those within the movement. It just felt a little glossed over. Not exploring this left a bit of a hole for me in the work. A hole that was made worse by the fact that Stahr makes very clear, Taft's impacts in the legislature and on the court are something that the United States is still living with today.

Another thing that I was a little confused by is the dynamics between Taft and his wife, Helen. It was clear they were close and had a happy marriage, but it felt like her importance was played up a great deal at the beginning of the book, and then she sort of faded into the background. Now, this might be because of the health issues she played less of a role and left fewer records to work with. However, given her prominence in his early career, it would have been interesting to see her feature a little more prominently at the end when he was on the Supreme Court.

Overall, this is a well-written and well-researched biography of a less popularly known president. If you have an interest in US history, I would recommend this work.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

CONTENT WARNINGS
Graphic: Body shaming, Cancer, Death, Fatphobia, Racism, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Medical content, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: War
Minor: Slavery

[Richard Propes]

As of late, I seem to have found myself periodically detouring my reading into the realm of presidential biographies. This time around, it's Walter Stahr's "William Howard Taft: A Great American Life."

At nearly 700 pages, "Taft" is an incredibly researched, extensively sourced exploration of one of America's one-term presidents whose greatest contributions may very well have come post-presidency with his devotion to public service and in his service as one of the most transformational chief justices in American history.

Taft spent the majority of his career as a judge. He started in his early 20s in the Ohio state court system, then became a federal judge on the Sixth Circuit. He had a longtime vision for his life that included becoming a U.S. Supreme Court judge, however, he declined appointment more than once to fulfill his work in other roles including as America's first civilian governor in the Philippines. He served in Theodore Roosevelt's cabinet, and he was elected President himself in 1908.

Generally regarded as a middle-of-the-pack president in terms of legacy, Taft's route to a second term was largely blocked by Roosevelt's decision to challenge him for the Republican nomination. As Stahr notes, his loss seemed barely a surprise even to him and it almost feels as if he happily went on to other pursuits while continuing to influence American politics until his death in 1930.

Reading presidential biographies has been a way for me to play connect-the-dots between past and present. It's almost Mr. Obvious to compare Taft to a president like Jimmy Carter, whose own one-term presidency led to even greater accomplishments for many years until his recent death.

"Taft" is carefully researched and written with a sort of dignified humanity toward a man whose health was nearly always a factor and whose quiet yet pointed respect for the presidency would have him represent almost the anti-Trump (whereas, Roosevelt himself was far more in agreement with Trump's belief in the authority of the office).

A few interesting fun facts:

Taft was a lifelong Unitarian in terms of faith.

While he and Roosevelt started as allies, hence Taft's role in his administration, the more progressive Roosevelt tired of Taft's more conservative politics.

He lost over 70 pounds after his term as president was over.

He loved baseball. He was the first American president to throw out the first pitch at a game.

He also started the idea of a presidential motorcade.

He oversaw New Mexico and Arizona's statehood.

I will admit I occasionally found "Taft" to be a bit too "and then this happened," a biography approach that becomes tiresome and even a little exhausting. However, for a good majority of the book I was completely fascinated and undeniably learned a lot and gained a much deeper appreciation for William Howard Taft.

[Dr. Alan Albarran]

You can't read this detailed biography of William Howard Taft without developing a whole new level of respect and admiration for the only man in U.S. history to serve as both President and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Walter Stahr had done a magnificent job of telling Taft's life story and his numerous accomplishments in five decades of public service.

I thought I knew a lot about Taft who appears prominently in biographies of Theodore Roosevelt (especially the Edmund Morris trilogy), Doris Kearns Goodwin's The Bully Pulpit, and most recently my reading of Robert Merry's biography of William McKinley. Turns out there was MUCH more to learn about Taft and his remarkable career.

Here a just a few of the interesting facts about William Howard Taft discussed in this biography:

--service as Solicitor General and arguing cases before the Supreme Court in his early years appointed by Benjamin Harrison
--serving as Justice on the Sixth Circuit
--the first Governor of the Philippines following the Spanish-American War
--serving as Secretary of War under T. Roosevelt and overseeing the construction of the Panama Canal (Taft visited the site four times)
--Chairman of the Lincoln Memorial Commission and the development of the Washington Mall
--with his wife Helen helped secure Japanese Cherry Trees for Washington, DC
--lobbying and securing funding to build the Supreme Court Building
--creating a single judicial system in the United States under the leadership of the Chief Justice
--establishing with the Congress the law to allow the Supreme Court to selectively choose which cases the Court would hear, eliminating a huge backlog of cases that he inherited as Chief Justice

There is a lot more to read about this remarkable man who was almost universally respected and loved by others for his dedication, work ethic, and constant smile.

.Taft was the first President to be buried at Arlington Cemetery, followed decades later by John F. Kennedy.

Simply an amazing biography of a man who lived an incredible life of public service.

My thanks to the author, Simon and Schuster, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this new book.

[Jonathan Brown]

I received an advance reader copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review on my Goodreads page. William Howard Taft: A Great American Life will be published on November 10, 2026.

The last truly comprehensive, cradle-to-grave biography of William Howard Taft was published in 1939, just nine years after his death. For nearly nine decades, readers have lacked a modern, full-length account of one of the most accomplished—and too often overlooked—figures in American history. Walter Stahr finally fills that void, bringing Taft's remarkable life to a new generation in a biography that is both timely and deeply needed.

Although Taft is often remembered simply as the nation's twenty-seventh president, his public service extended far beyond his single term in the White House. He served as Governor-General of the Philippines, Secretary of War, president of Yale University, and ultimately fulfilled his lifelong dream by serving as Chief Justice of the United States for the final nine years of his life. He remains the only person in American history to have led both the Executive and Judicial branches of the federal government.

Stahr presents Taft as a thoughtful, principled, and deeply human leader whose influence reached well beyond his presidency. Rather than reducing him to the familiar comparisons with Theodore Roosevelt, this biography allows Taft to stand on his own merits and demonstrates why his contributions to American government and constitutional history deserve far greater recognition. Stahr mentions that Taft can be seen everywhere in Washington DC if you look hard enough. After reading this biography, I can certainly see why and believe that Taft should be placed in a greater position than he normally is.

This long-awaited biography is a significant contribution to presidential history and is certain to become the standard work on William Howard Taft for years to come.

[Kathryn E Hagen]

William Howard Taft comes alive on the pages of Walter Stahr’s new biography. Walter Stahr includes new source material that makes his portrayal of Taft more complete. Although Taft was very much a man of his time, I believed I saw several similarities between his political world and ours.

I came away amazed at everything Taft accomplished during his lifetime. He seemed to do the work of two or three men, and yet he was devoted to his wife and family. Taft was an avid reader, although I can’t imagine when he found the time.

Taft is the only president to have become a Supreme Court justice after serving his term. Although it was his lifetime dream, he always seemed to accept that it might never come true.

This was a wonderful book, and I recommend it. It’s a long book, at 688 pages, but it will give you a clear understanding of Taft’s presidency, his term in the Supreme Court, and of the political environment in the early 20th century.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader copy. This is my honest review.

[Rachel]

William Howard Taft: A Great American Life by Walter Stahr is a great biography that highlights an often overlooked President.

I really enjoyed this thorough biography that gives us a fascinating perspective on the historic and jam-packed life of President Taft.

This was expansive but while reading, it did not feel burdensome. It is a thick book, but was easily read. I have to be honest and say that I knew almost nothing about this former President, but I left this book learning so much, being entertained, and having a newfound respect and appreciation for this man.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Simon & Schuster for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 11/10/2026.

[Casey]

This is a comprehensive biography since 1939 of an often misunderstood President. The author addresses in detail the events and actions that created Taft and also disabuses the many myths that surrounded him. He was well travelled and is the only President who also served a the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Overall, an excellent much needed biography of the man.

I received an arc of this book from NetGalley and the publisher with the understanding that I would write a review and post it to NetGalley. I also posted it to Goodreads, Amazon and my blog site.

[David]

I just finished reading William Howard Taft: A Great American Life by Walter Stahr. Wow! I had no idea what an extraordinary public servant Taft was. My respect for him and what he did for America in his five decades of serving his country puts him in a very elite group of Presidents.

Just serving as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court alone is an achievement no other president can claim, but he did it so well, was so impactful there, and accomplished so many other things that it is truly amazing. Not only did he preside over the highest court for nine years, he was also responsible for reforming the entire judicial system. He changed the structure of the federal courts in beneficial ways that are still in use today. He is responsible for the court choosing what cases they will hear—a feat that has done more to aid in the court's efficiency than any other change throughout history. He is single-handedly responsible for the beautiful building that the court resides in.

And those are just some of his Supreme Court accomplishments! He also served as Governor of the Philippines and spent ten years pushing through and overseeing the construction of the Lincoln Memorial. This is my first book by Stahr, but it will not be the last. The biography is incredibly detailed, spanning from birth through death. Stahr relies heavily on letters—not just from Taft, but to him—digging through the archives of those he corresponded with to unearth some great, never-before-written-about nuggets.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to increase their knowledge about this great American, William Howard Taft.