II.

Early Life

William Howard Taft was born on September 15, 1857, in Cincinnati, Ohio, the son of Alphonso and Louisa Torrey Taft. Both parents were descendants of old and substantial New England families of British origin. His father, a native of Vermont and the son of a judge, had moved to Cincinnati in 1837 to practice law. His mother came to Ohio from Massachusetts years later as Alphonso's second wife. Their first son died in infancy, but in 1857, William Howard Taft was born, healthy and strong. In time there were six children, including William, his two brothers, his sister, and his two half brothers by his father's first marriage. Traditions revering education and public service ran strong in the family. Alphonso Taft himself served as a judge in Ohio, as attorney general and secretary of war in the administration of Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877), and as U.S. minister to Austria and to Russia. He set an example that his son William was to emulate and exceed.

Taft received his early education at local public schools. Even-tempered and intelligent, he had little difficulty in meeting his parents' exacting standards. In 1874 he entered Yale College (now Yale University), where he was both successful and popular. When he graduated in 1878, he ranked second in his class. After Yale he went home to attend the Cincinnati Law School. He graduated in 1880 and passed the Ohio bar examinations the same year.