The William Howard Taft Presidency

by Lewis L. Gould

The only president to later serve as chief justice of the United States, William Howard Taft remarked in the 1920s that “I don’t remember that I ever was President.” Historians have agreed, and Taft is usually portrayed, when written about at all, as nothing more than a failed chief executive. In this provocative new study, the first treatment of the Taft presidency in four decades, Lewis L. Gould presents a compelling assessment of Taft’s accomplishments and setbacks in office. Rich in human interest and fresh analysis of the events of Taft’s four years in Washington, Gould’s book shows why Taft’s presidency is very much worth remembering on its own terms.

Gould argues that Taft wanted to be president and had an ambitious agenda when he took power in March 1909. Approaching his duties more as a judge than as a charismatic executive in the mold of Theodore Roosevelt, Taft soon found himself out of step with public opinion. Gould shows how the Payne-Aldrich Tariff and the Ballinger-Pinchot controversy squandered Taft’s political capital and prepared the ground for Democratic victories in the elections of 1910 and 1912. His seamless narrative provides innovative treatments of these crucial episodes to make Taft’s presidency more understandable than in any previous account. On Canadian Reciprocity, Dollar Diplomacy, and international arbitration, Gould’s well-researched work goes beyond earlier stale clichés about Taft’s administration to link his tenure to the evolution of the modern presidency. Taft emerges as a hard-working but flawed executive who lacked the excitement of Theodore Roosevelt or the inspiration of Woodrow Wilson.

The break with Theodore Roosevelt in 1912 doomed the Taft presidency, and Gould supplies an evenhanded analysis of the erosion of their once warm friendship. At bottom, the two men clashed about the nature of presidential power, and Gould traces with insight how this personal and ideological rupture influenced the future of the Republican party and the course of American politics. In Gould’s skilled hands, this neglected presidency again comes alive. Leaving the White House in 1913, Taft wrote that “the people of the United States did not owe me another election.” What his presidency deserved is the lively and wise appraisal of his record in office contained in this superb book.

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

288 pages, Hardcover

First published October 20, 2009

About the author

Lewis L. Gould is Eugene C. Barker Professor Emeritus in American History at the University of Texas in Austin. Gould earned an A.B. from Brown University in 1961, and an M.A. (1962) and Ph.D. (1966) from Yale University.

Reviews

[Campbell Stites · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping to finish this book quickly to move on to Wilson, but sadly I realized I probably should prioritize my College finals above my presidential biography journey, it was a hard and sad choice. Anyways,
another book from the american presidency series has been read and thankfully it easily surpasses my previous read (BH 23). This book on taft provided a well-written review of Taft’s presidency only (which was expected), and found it somewhat enjoyable to read. In terms of readability, this book flowed decently and had a number of captivating chapters. Thought not winning any awards, it did it’s job well and I also enjoyed it’s use of chapter titles to prepare you for what you’re about to read, 6/10. For depth, this was another series book only on his presidency so I expected nothing else, but the book provided a few snippets about Taft’s family and golf game which raised it’s score a touch above other presidency only reviews, 5/10. Engagement of this book was spotty but the author did well in writing about slower topics with a slightly interesting tone, 5/10. Overall, I can say this book surprised me but never was gonna be above average.
Gould is a good writer and I would love to see what he has written when he doesn’t have a page limit. His review of Taft and his characterization of him is very well done and this book was not anything I was dying to just finish, and that is good in my book! Overall Rating: 5.5/10. Taft rode TR’s coattails to the highest office in the land and was nothing like him when he occupied it. Although passing important tariff and civil service legislation, he is often just remembered as the candidate that came in last place as the incumbent in the election of 1912. Although a smart man and a very important as a Supreme Court Chief Justice, his accomplishments as president cause you to really forget that he even was one (his words), 3.5/10. For the “great” scale, Taft honestly exudes mediocrity and hey, someone’s gotta do it. There is nothing from this book that I can take away as great, but he was a good man who attempted to steer a good administration ship. Although some waves, he left office respected and loved, and that shows you a lot about the man he was, 4/10. An interesting life with side stories about a rift with Roosevelt, the construction of the panama canal, breaking the presidential travel record, and being appointed to the supreme court 8 years after his term ended, leaves me curious to read a bit more about taft.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://bestpresidentialbios.com/2015/...

“The William Howard Taft Presidency” by Lewis Gould was published in 2009 and is a member of the American Presidency Series. Gould is Professor Emeritus of American History at the University of Texas and is the author of several books including “The Presidency of William McKinley” and “The Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt.”

As one would suspect based on its title, Gould’s biography is more a detailed review of Taft’s presidency than a comprehensive survey of his life. Of the book’s 215 pages, just two pages whisk the reader from Taft’s birth to his service in the Philippines, another eight pages hand Taft the Republican nomination for the presidency and just a single page covers his entire seventeen-year post-presidency.

Gould begins with an excellent preface summarizing the book’s themes and key conclusions. Rather than scaring off the reader by foreshadowing possible tedium in the ensuing chapters, these early pages provide a welcome sense of anticipation by demonstrating the author’s extraordinarily thoughtful approach to the topic.

Unfortunately, neither Taft nor his presidency provides much in the way of exciting raw material, so while Gould’s analysis is intellectually insightful and rewarding it is not particularly captivating or entertaining. Readers hoping to wander effortlessly through Taft’s life – meeting his family and understanding his inner-self through a colorful and engaging narrative – will be disappointed.

But Gould consistently provides the reader with crisp discussions and excellent insight into topics that generally seem uninspiring. Much to my surprise, I found myself paying close attention to the review of Taft’s efforts related to tariff reform as well as his approach to foreign policy. I was disappointed, however, with Gould’s comparatively bland coverage of the fallout between Taft and Theodore Roosevelt which, in other biographies, has proven to be a far more captivating train wreck.

Unfortunately Gould does not follow Taft past his presidency in any detail. Readers unfamiliar with Taft’s life story may not fully appreciate that his appointment to the Supreme Court nearly a decade after leaving office represented the fulfillment of a dream of far greater importance to him than occupying the White House. But Gould does make good use his closing chapter by providing a fascinating analysis of the biographies of Taft published in the eight decades following his death.

Overall, Lewis Gould’s “The William Howard Taft Presidency” is an excellent (if not always exciting) review of Taft’s years in the White House. By design, however, it is not an ideal biography of this former president. Its succeeds in its primary mission but fails to convey much of Taft’s personality or mindset to the reader. Gould’s book, however, sets a very high bar for a work so narrowly focused on a presidency – and on William Taft’s presidency, in particular.

Overall rating: 3¾ stars

[Regina Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The William Howard Taft Presidency by Lewis L. Gould
3 Stars

History views Taft's presidency as one of mediocrity. While Gould accepts that Taft is partially responsible, he argues that Taft's circumstances of holding office between Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson lend to this view. I would agree that his specific personality and placement in history was a predicament. Ambitious to become Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, crossing paths with Teddy Roosevelt his path to the Supreme Court took a circuitous route, serving as Roosevelt's Secretary of War. While in cabinet service Taft played the role well, helping move Roosevelt's agenda forward. However, ideologically the men were vastly different, as Taft abhorred Roosevelt's use of executive orders to circumvent Congress. The two also saw conservationism differently. This was the crux of the breakdown of the two's friendship since Roosevelt supported Taft for president assuming Taft would continue implementing Roosevelt's agenda. He was sorely mistaken. More than philosophical differences Taft's judicious approach to governance contrasted sharply with Roosevelt's larger than life persona, and the public wasn't willing to go back to a quiet White House. Conventional wisdom would assume that since Taft lost his re-election bid so resoundingly, only winning two states, this is evidence of a tepid legacy. However, Gould points out that not since Ulysses S. Grant had a president successfully served two complete terms. Additionally, Taft had to fight off the closest successful bid by a third party candidate in our history from his one time friend and mentor. Gould seems to think that Taft may have won had Roosevelt not launched his reelection bid. But, I wasn't convinced.

This is a short book, and I learned a lot since I really had no understanding of Taft's administration prior to the read. On one hand he is reminiscent of Jimmy Carter (only a conservative version) in his hands off approach to managing his cabinet almost to the point that he was answering to them rather than the president driving the agenda. On the other hand, he was truly a correction to Roosevelt's progressive movement not only immediately but in the years to come since Taft had the unusual opportunity to appointing five supreme court justices. I love historical "what ifs", and I'm adding to the list "what if Taft had truly been the disciple of Roosevelt progressivism that Roosevelt assumed he was. Of course, Taft did finally realize his dream of becoming Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

I rated it as a three because the work's brevity only broadly brushes on the main subjects.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good biographies of President Taft are not easy to come by. This relatively slim volume covers the period of time he served as President of the United States only lightly glossing over his service in the Philippines and as Secretary of War in the Theodore Roosevelt White House.

After his service as president he was appointed to the Supreme Court where, in such capacity, he wrote to a friend in 1925, “in my present life I don’t remember that I ever was president.”
This biography seems to treat Taft even handedly in regards to what most consider a failed presidency.

His leadership style differed dramatically from Roosevelt and he failed to accomplish a great deal although he certainly faced no serious crisis. Taft appears to have been a man who followed his conscience rather than a path of political expediency and while this may be to his credit it tends to make for a president who cannot see through his vision for the country.

I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in American history.

[Jason Oliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is not a deep, all-encompassing biography of Taft before, during, and after his Presidency that focuses on the events, policies, and the human. It is also hard to have a biography of Taft without revisiting Teddy Roosevelt.

Taft, a judge at heart, did not possess the political foresight of his words or action nor did he feel the need to explain himself. I also find it interesting that he appointed, up to that time, the most Supreme Court Justices besides Washington, and the second most of all time, shaping the future of the United States interpretation of laws very conservative. He later became the Chief Justice, the only former President to serve on the Supreme Court.

The most interesting aspect of Taft to me is his deep friendship of progressive Roosevelt, serving on Roosevelts cabinet, and being a loyal friend and sounding board, leading Roosevelt to practically hand pick Taft as his successor. Then, Taft turns out to be very conservative and the opposite of Roosevelt on many topics, leading to a fraction of their friendship and the Republican party.

This biography is more or less chronological, but its chapters are divided up by the issues the faced. The pre and post Presidency of Taft is not nearly as detailed.

[David Oskutis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly, there are not many available biographies on William Howard Taft, and so this one was the best I could find. It barely covers his life before becoming friends with Theodore Roosevelt, and after his term in office, the fact that he became a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is treated as an afterthought. The irony is that his greatest (depending on opinion) accomplishment as President in his 4 years in office was that he made 5 Supreme Court nominations, and travelled to Panama 3 times (as well as broke records as the most travelled President). He's known as the "fat one" (and at barely 6' tall and weighing just over 340 pounds while in office, it makes sense), but there is so much left unsaid in this biography, it's a little disappointing.

For instance, the book opens with Roosevelt inviting Taft and his wife to the White House the night before Taft's inauguration. According to this biography, up to this point, Taft and TR are best friends and see eye-to-eye on everything. BUT, at that dinner, something upset Taft's wife (the book does not say what), and almost immediately after Taft is inaugurated, their friendship breaks down. Taft breaks his promise about the staff he keeps and the agenda he and TR laid out together. The book tries to give credit to everything TR did right to Taft's advice, and anything TR did wrong was because he didn't listen to Taft...yet, given the power of the Presidency, Taft did quite a bit wrong and drove most of his own party away. Republicans leaped to TR's Progressive Party, and though Taft had won the Republican nominee, it was through the electors, not the popular vote, that he did it (TR beat him handily in that regard). Taft's administration does take a first large step in the Republican Party becoming more conservative, and Taft wins over a few Southern Democrats to his party, but other than that, there isn't much to say about his 4 years in office. Oh, he played golf. A lot.

Sadly, I don't feel I got to know the man very well at all, and the book read more like a ledger of what happened. Even more sadly, the author is inconsistent in his timeline. Covering mostly the 4 years Taft was in office, the author jumps back and forth between 1909 to 1912, back to 1910, up to 1912 again, and even suggests at some points that events that occurred in 1912 should've affected the decisions made in 1909 (which is just impossible). Also, the rumor/myth of Taft getting stuck in the tub? Never even brought up. His adventures to South America were only listed as that...he took a trip to Panama. No details of what he saw, why he went, what was accomplished. Hopefully, another biography will some day feel inspired to write a detailed biography of not only the years in the White House, but about the man's life as a whole, birth to death. I can sense there were interesting areas to dive into...they just didn't happen in this book.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

I prefer to read biographies and presidential histories on the lesser-known presidents, focusing on specific events for the "big guys". Previous books on Monroe, Polk, Ben Harrison have been pleasant surprises as interesting lessons in politics, insights into a specific time, or just compelling stories. That was my expectation in choosing to read about William Howard Taft instead of Roosevelt or Wilson. My mistake.

Gould's book on Taft is well researched, positioned, and written, but he can only do so much with limited material. The fact is that not much happened during the Taft administration. He was Teddy's chosen successor, but nothing like him in ambition. A much more conservative Republican in both politics and style, his highlights were pushing legislation to tweak tariffs and most international relations issues were with the world powers of Mexico and Canada. Although his legacy shouldn't be hurt by the fact that a war didn't break out on his watch. But he also was not an adept politician, didn't surround himself with great people or look for advice when he should, essentially shooting himself in his foot. Arguably his rift with Roosevelt could have been avoided along with other blunders, which possibly could have resulted in a second term and Taft needing to deal with WWI. How history would have been different.

In the context of the times, Taft's administration does illustrate some of the trends. He approached the office more as a lawyer (or maybe judge), instituted some organization to the administration processes as were being implemented in industry and organizations across the country at the time as the scale of operations in an industrialized society required more organization. But this society required a lot more than just organization, and industrialization and urbanization were creating new problems for people seen in the past several books--from the steel laborers in Pittsburgh, to the Kansas farmers with economic imbalances with the railroads, to the disadvantaged immigrants in sprawling Chicago, to the local bank customer in New York. The trend toward progressivism was clearly taking hold, but the conservative side of the Republicans were essentially disregarding the inevitable. And as the party had been in power more or less for decades, in hindsight it is not surprising that the party leadership could be assumed by a master lawyer/admisitrator than necessarily a master politician and leader. If anything Roosevelt is the more surprising anomaly in personality.

As I said, Gould's book is fine. The material is incredibly dry, but he gets credit for presenting it in as compelling a manner as possible. I would read a book on a better topic by him.

[Scott Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

William Howard Taft, 27th President of the United States, began his career as a lawyer who subsequently received an appointment to become a federal judge. Taft dreamed of someday being appointed to the Supreme Court, however his dream was checked when he accepted a call by President McKinley to become the civilian governor of the Philippine protectorate. He was subsequently appointed the Secretary of war under President Teddy Roosevelt. These efforts lay the groundwork for his successful bid for the Presidency in 1908. As President, Taft was known for the Payne-Aldrich Tariff, which was ostensibly an attempt to cut tariffs (tariffs were a prime source of protection against foreign goods, plus a vital source of revenue prior to federal income taxes). Unfortunately for Taft, various congressional compromises ended up increasing tariffs on many vital goods, thus alienating progressives in both parties. Taft was also held responsible for the Ballinger-Pinchot controversy, resulting in the ouster of Pinchot, Roosevelt’s popular Forest Service Chief. Taft was credited for promoting a “Dollar Diplomacy” with regards to Latin America and Asian countries. Biographer Lewis Gould adroitly noted, “The interests of the countries in the region were less compelling to American policy makers than the need to preserve the ascendency of the United States towards its neighbors to the south.” Becoming increasingly unpopular, Taft was soundly defeated for reelection in 1912 by Democratic candidate Woodrow Wilson, however Teddy Roosevelt’s third party “Bull Moose” candidacy was certainly a factor in Taft’s loss. Taft became the only President to subsequently be appointed as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court by President Harding. Taft was considered to be one of the most notable Chief justices by future Justice Antonin Scalia "not so much on the basis of his opinions, perhaps because many of them ran counter to the ultimate sweep of history.” Indeed, Taft became known for decisions that were both conservative as well as reform-minded. Taft died in 1930 and became the first President and member of the Supreme Court to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the words of Taft in a letter to his wife, "It is a very humdrum, uninteresting administration, and does not attract the attention or enthusiasm of anybody, but after I am out, I think you and I can look back with some pleasure in having done something for the benefit of the public weal."
Even he had to admit that his time in office was rather innocuous. His good decisions were usually undermined by his fumbles and he lacked much political sense, but overall, he seemed like a thoughtful, moral president.
The writing itself was matter-of-fact and the author utilized multiple primary sources, which I appreciated. I did find parts of the book rather dry, but I wouldn't call the book itself boring by any means.

[Greg · Rating 2 out of 5]

The goal of this series is something blah blah blah for historians and general readers. This isn't really for general readers, it's like little details that only other historians of the era would probably care about, and well they would only care about it because the author seems to assume the reader will already have some familiarity with the subject and issues. I was listening to the last book in the Teddy Roosevelt series by Morris at the time, so some chapters that were also covered in that book I would have some interest in, but otherwise it's a good example of why academics are not unfairly treated as essentially inconsequential by most people.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been reading a lot of Taft biographies and works that touch on him. While this intentionally only covers his presidency and is therefore somewhat incomplete in terms of understanding Taft as a person, I think it is the most balanced and thoughtful book I’ve read on Taft so far. While there are some things that I might have interpreted slightly differently than Gould, but he really shows a lot of research and consideration into presenting a thorough yet readable analysis of the Taft presidency.

[Lincoln David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Taft’s presidency had the misfortune of being sandwiched between the two power house presidencies of Roosevelt and Wilson and his judicial temperament/conservative proclivity did not meet the demands of the times. I enjoyed Gould’s writing and found it to be thorough, despite Taft’s presidency being relatively lackluster. I found myself feeling more sympathetic toward Taft in the 1912 election in regards towards Roosevelt’s split with the party.

[Jeff P · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book isn't what I was looking for after having visited Taft's childhood home in Cincinnati earlier this year. For me, there was too much detail on the inside dealings of his Presidency.
As a former judge, Taft believed in following the law and the Constitution in fulfilling his duties. Compared to the last several Presidents, that seems almost quaint.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by this. It was short and though it was focused on his presidency (as books are in this series), it still fit in some personal information and I found it to be an interesting read, even if Taft wasn't the most interesting president.

[Stevejs298 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fairly concise biography on a rather ordinary President. I think what I found most interesting was just how different the world and the presidency in particular were back then to what it became less than 50 years later.

[Kirk Dobihal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Concise and to the point. Last chapter points to other biographies.

[Garry · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the biography goes into depth on the economic, political, and diplomatic strengths/shortcomings of Taft, it tells us little about what came before and after his presidency.

[Zach Koenig · Rating 4 out of 5]

While reading through Arthur Schlesinger's "The American Presidents" series, I found a gaping hole for President Taft. As such, I turned to Gould's bio, as it proved to be the most popular of all the works on Taft. After completing it, I had two main thoughts about the experience:

1. This is quite a thorough biography. Procedural-wise, it covers all the bases of the Taft administration and provides a solid look at Taft and his times. You will not come away from this book with any lack of Taft's administration workings.

2. The trouble, though, is that this bio has no "fun stuff" for those of us who are more amateur historians and don't necessarily care as much about the "backroom dealings" and inside politics. The book touches on Taft's character every once awhile, but I wish it would have gone into more detail on that aspect of his presidency.

Overall, then, I felt that Gould's biography of William Howard Taft gave me some quality information on "Taft the President", but was a bit lacking in the area of "Taft the man". This one got me through that "void" in the other series, so to speak, but I will be returning to Schlesinger to complete my readings on all the Presidents. This style of writing (while of the utmost quality) was just a bit too in-depth for my more amateur tastes.

[Steven Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are not a large number of high quality biographies of William Howard Taft. This book, part of "The American Presidency" series, does a fine job outlining Taft the President and Taft the person. The series itself has a specific mission (Page vii): ". . .to present scholars and the general reading public with interesting, well-researched assessments of the various presidential administrations." The author, Lewis Gould, begins by noting the bad luck of Taft, in an historical sense, of being President between two dynamic and well-known presidents--Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson.

This book spends only a modest amount of time examining Taft before he became president. There is some background on his role in the Philippines and as Secretary of War under Roosevelt. Then, the story of his nomination, with the sense that he was a natural heir to Teddy Roosevelt. Soon, it would be obvious that that was not the case--and a rift developed that ended up dooming Taft's desire for a second term.

Once Taft became president, he had a number of challenges--on both the domestic and international stages. He ended up widening rifts in the Republican Party between progressives and conservatives, over issues such as the Payne-Aldrich Tariff bill. Taft was surely not a terrible politician, but it was not a skill that came easily to him. As the book points out, as in the case of the tariff, he sometimes had a tin ear to people's views on matters. Sometimes, if he was not careful, he would commit gaffes in his speeches or off-hand comments that undermined him politically.

He began to create a gulf between himself and Roosevelt over his views on conservation and his choosing sides against one of TR's holdovers in the Taft Administration (Gifford Pinchot). In 1910, his party suffered a reverse in the Congressional elections, and his ability to create a majority began to suffer.

The 1912 campaign was difficult for Taft. Roosevelt, running as a Progressive stole many Republican votes from Taft, and Taft ended up actually finishing third in the popular and electoral vote. The book briefly considers his time as a college law school professor and as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

This is a fine biography of Taft, and if the reader wants to get a detailed sense of his presidency and his persona, this is an excellent starting point.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good synopsis of Taft's presidency, and recommended for anyone interested in 20th century American history. Taft seemed to be a planet orbiting Theodore Roosevelt's sun, and he was never able to fully escape the gravitational pull. His break with Rooselvelt resulted in the former president mounting a third-party bid against Taft in 1912, and doomed his already slim chances for re-election.

Taft thought it was sufficient to be an able administrator, and was not very good at self-promotion or public relations. He missed opportunities and misread the public's mood. A judge by training and temperment, he later made a better Chief Justice of the Supreme Court than he did a President.

[Joseph Washkevich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brief political biography on President William Howard Taft. Though short, it is informative and goes into detail about policies passed during the Taft Administration in between Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson’s presidencies. While a decent president, Taft is sadly only really remembered as being “the fat one”, though Taft seems to have gotten his dream ending in the end when President Harding appointed him Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

[Mary D · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not all that well-written. A quick read. Didn't learn all that much more than I had learned in reading Morris' bio of Theodore Roosevelt, except that he was a better Chief Justice than president and he is responsible for construction of the Supreme Court building and the furtherance of conservative judicial philosophy up until the time of FDR. he died in 1930.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

History of Taft's time in the White House. But lacks the story of his life that got him there or details about the development of his relationship with Roosevelt, which would overshadow his time in office. Just not enough context to be interesting.

[Danmcgohan · Rating 3 out of 5]

easy read. Lack-lust presidency of William Howard Taft. His judicial approach to administration was direct contrast of Theodore Roosevelt's style. He was indifferent to the politics of the office. His on and off friendship with Roosevelt probably lead to his one term presidency.

[Linda Hoover · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know much about Taft before I read this book, so found myself pleasantly enlightened. Yea for his standing up to Teddy!

[Dan Cotter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like Lewis Gould. Concise but informative books on this era in our nation's history. Wonderfully researched and written.