by Beverley Francis

Created on: July 06, 2009

William Howard Taft was the 27th president of the United States. Born in Cinncinnati, Ohio on September 15, 1857, he graduated with honors from Yale University in 1878, and obtained a law degree from Cinncinnati College in 1880.

Taft was known as a statesman and humanitarian and in 1890 he was appointed Solictor General of the United States. From 1891-1900 he was a judge of the United States circuit court(6th circuit).

In 1900 President Mckinley appointed him president of the United States Philippine commission, the office changed to Civil Governor of the Philippines in 1901. Reforms implemented under his direction while at this post included the public school system, civil government, organized methods of dealing with sickness and disease, and the judiciary and postal systems.

In 1904 President Roosevelt appointed Taft Secretary of War and was the Provisional Governer of Cuba for a few weeks in 1906. In 1907 he helped to supervise the start of construction on the Panama Canal.

The election in 1908 saw William Taft win the Presidency by more than a margin of 1.2 million votes over William J. Bryan. Taft's administration focused on civil service reforms and worked to improve the Interstate Commerce Commission and the postal service, instituting postal savings banks and parcel post, the Bureau of Mines and the Children's Bureau were also established.

Taft was keenly active in furthering economic development throughout the world as a means of prosperity to under-developed nations, coining the term "dollar diplomacy". One of his main goals during his presidency was to promote world peace. Taft ratified arbitration treaties with Britain and France, helping him to further his goal towards a peaceful prosperity.

The Sixteenth(corporate income tax) and Seventeenth(senators are elected by the people) Amendments were passed while he was in office and 80 antitrust suits were filed causing a rift within his own party and with big business. In 1912, just before Taft left office, New Mexico and Arizona were admitted into the union as states.

During his administration the Payne Tariff law(a bill lowering certain tariffs on imported goods) was enacted. Strongly supported by Taft, it was an unpopular bill and the Senate replaced it with the Payne-Aldritch Tariff which called for fewer reductions and increased tariffs.

The Payne Tariff law was unpopular and Taft was unsympathetic with the more progressive members of his republican party causing his popularity to decrease,

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