I.

Introduction

William Howard Taft (1857-1930), 27th president of the United States (1909-1913) and tenth chief justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (1921-1930). Taft was the only person in U.S. history to hold those two offices. He succeeded President Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909), who expected Taft to continue his crusade for reform. Instead Taft was more conservative, and the domestic reforms of the early 20th century slowed. Taft also replaced Roosevelt's aggressive foreign policy with one that was more measured. Taft's conservatism irritated Roosevelt, split the Republican Party, and ensured a Democratic victory for Woodrow Wilson in the presidential election of 1912.