William+Taft

Born in 1857, the son of a distinguished judge, he graduated from Yale, and returned to Cincinnati to study and practice law. He rose in politics through Republican judiciary appointments, through his own competence and availability, and because, as he once wrote facetiously, he always had his "plate the right side up when offices were falling." He was secretary if War under TR, and he when decided not to run, he picked Taft to be next president. He hated being president, and was happy when it ended.

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