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The reluctant President
By Ken Canfield
Staff Writer
William Howard Taft, America's 27th president, was probably our nation's most reluctant leader.
The Cincinnati native and Yale graduate loved law, not politics. He wanted only to be a Supreme Court justice, but fate (and his wife Helen) had other plans.
A series of administrative posts led to a Cabinet position under Republican Theodore Roosevelt, who decided his Secretary of War should be his successor. As uncomfortable as he was with the notion, the loyal Taft went along, beating the Democrats' choice, perennial also-ran William Jennings Bryan.
Taft never warmed up to the job and lost it after his one term by irritating the GOP liberals, including Roosevelt. Not only did Taft lose in 1912, he finished third behind Woodrow Wilson and Roosevelt, who came back to run as a Progressive.
Free of the White House, he became a professor of law at Yale. Fellow Buckeye President Warren G. Harding gave Taft his dream job as Chief Justice of the United States in 1921.
The William Howard Taft National Historic Site in Cincinnati's Auburn Hills neighborhood gives visitors a free glimpse back into his boyhood. You get a tour of Taft's restored birthplace and a look at exhibits highlighting his life. The adjacent Taft Education Center expands on his career, and an animatronic figure of Taft's son Charlie tells stories about the family.
"I don't remember that I ever was President," Taft wrote late in his life.
A visit to the Taft historic site, and you can't forget.
Contact Ken Canfield at (937) 225-2259.
HOW TO GO
- What: William Howard Taft National Historic Site
- Where: 2038 Auburn Ave., Cincinnati, 54 miles from Dayton Make a map
- Hours: 8 a.m. - 4 p.m., daily.
- Admission: Free.
- Information: (513) 684-3262 or [Web site]
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