#President Taft

[deadpresidents]

I dare you to find a better Presidential campaign poster than this one for William Howard Taft. Good luck.

[onceuponatown]

Pauline, pet cow of President Taft on lawn, in front of the State, War and Navy Building, Washington, D.C. 

Between 1909 and 1913.

[merdeslawoffice]

PRESIDENT TAFT SIGNS THE ORGANIC ACT

On August 24, 1912 then President William Taft signed the Second Organic Act, the District of Alaska was now the Territory of Alaska or Alaska Territory. Alaska remained a Territory until January 3, 1959 when it gained statehood...READ MORE

[presidential-man-slut-poll]

Presidential Man Slut Round 1

Vote for who you think has the absolute sluttiest vibes! Learn more at the FAQ. This poll ends on Saturday, 25 February 2023.

Remember to reblog to make sure everyone gets a chance to vote. That’s democracy, babey!!!!

[lulu-cat-princess]

Some of the Button House as American Presidents 

Kitty: George Washington

Thomas: James Monroe

Fanny: William Howard Taft

Captain: Franklin D. Roosevelt

Pat: Ronald Reagan

Julian: Bill Clinton

[thepresidentsblog]

[rabbitcruiser]

George Washington was unanimously elected as the first President of the United States by the U.S. Electoral College on February 4, 1789.  

[aiiaiiiyo]

[lone-wolf-nergiganos]

Reblog this if you want

[bretzkysbs]

"You're going down like a fat, mediocre trustbuster, Taft!" - George W.

[deadpresidents]

Which President, in your opinion, was the most reluctant to seek the position? Which wound up hating it the most by the end of his term?

I am a strong believer that nobody truly becomes President of the United States "reluctantly". That's not exactly the kind of job that seeks you, especially the modern Presidency.

For a significant slice of American history, many of the people nominated for President acted as if they were being called upon to run when, behind-the-scenes, they were very active in building their campaigns and corralling supporters. Until the 20th Century it was frowned upon to openly run for the Presidency, but almost all of the Presidents wanted the gig.

I'd say that George Washington was probably more reluctant than most of his successors and likely would have preferred retiring to Mount Vernon after the Revolution, but I think he also recognized that he was the guy who needed to be the President that set the precedents. I think Ulysses S. Grant would have been perfectly happy to not be President, but once he was elected in 1868 he also wanted to keep the job. He even tried to run for a third term in 1880.

That 1880 election might have been the one case where the winner -- James Garfield -- genuinely wasn't interested in the Presidency at that point. He had gone to the Republican National Convention to support fellow Ohioan John Sherman (and defeat Grant's hopes for a third term) and gained some major attention after giving a well-received speech placing Sherman's name in nomination. When the candidacies of Sherman and James G. Blaine -- another anti-Grant candidate -- stalled, Garfield became a compromise choice and was eventually nominated on the 36th ballot. Garfield was apparently legitimately shocked by the events leading to him leaving Chicago as the GOP nominee.

By most accounts, William Howard Taft was far more interested in a potential seat on the Supreme Court than becoming President. At heart he was a judge and believed himself to be better suited for the judiciary than the Executive Branch. But Taft turned down three offers by Theodore Roosevelt to be appointed to the Supreme Court (in 1902, 1903, and 1906) because he felt obligated to complete his work as Governor-General of the Philippines and then Secretary of War. But Taft's wife desperately wanted him to become President and by the time of President Roosevelt's third offer of a seat on the Court, Taft was already being talked about as Roosevelt's hand-picked successor in the White House. And, as with all other Presidents, once he had a taste for the job, he didn't want to give it up, running for re-election in 1912 against his former friend, Roosevelt.

Gerald Ford is the only other President who hadn't spent a significant portion of his political career with his eyes on the White House. Ford spent nearly a quarter-century in the House of Representatives and his main ambition was to be Speaker of the House, but Republicans weren't able to win control of the House when Ford was in Congressional leadership positions. But even with Ford being a creature of Congress, he did attempt to put himself forward as a nominee for the Vice Presidency, first in 1960 and then in 1968, and Nixon kicked the tires on picking him as his running mate in 1960. No one wants to be Vice President without seeing it as a potential stepping stone to the Presidency, particularly at that point in history before Vice Presidents were empowered with some real influence within the Administrations they served in.

As for who wound up hating it by the end of their time in office, I think it's safe to say that John Quincy Adams didn't shed too many tears when he was defeated for re-election in 1828. And I'm sure he wouldn't use the word "hate", but nobody can convince me that George W. Bush wasn't thoroughly ready to escape Washington by late-2007. There were times in 2008 when he seemed like he just wanted to hold a snap election like they have in parliamentary systems and go home to Texas. If some Presidential insider published a book that said that Bush asked if he could just give the keys to the White House to Barack Obama in July 2008, I wouldn't be the least bit shocked.

On the other hand, if there were no term limits, Bill Clinton would have been running for President in every election since 1992 (and the crazy thing is that he's still younger than both of the presumptive 2024 nominees). I'm kind of surprised that he didn't make an effort to repeal the 22nd Amendment in the past 20 years. Clinton loved being President and was trying to find something Presidential to do until minutes before his successor was inaugurated in 2001.

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"The Rival Grave Diggers," Toronto Star. September 9, 1912. Page 5. --- Roosevelt and Taft dig graves for the 'Bull Moose' Party and G.O.P. elephant - from the New York World.

[1900scartoons]

His Eye On the Core

January 24, 1908

Presidential candidates, Taft, La Follette, Fairbanks, Hughes, and Cannon look at Presidential Apple with label the Vice-Presidential Core. Leslie Shaw stands off to the side.

The caption reads "Leslie Shaw - 'Say Boys, Whoever Gets It, Gib' Me the Core.'"

On January 24, the New York Times reported that Shaw, Ex-secretary of the Treasury, joked with President Roosevelt about his future plans. Among the positions he included, was a candidacy for Vice President.

See Also: Charles Evans Hughes; William Howard Taft; Charles Fairbanks; Joe Cannon; Robert La Follette

From Hennepin County Library

Original available at: https://digitalcollections.hclib.org/digital/collection/Bart/id/5745/rec/1846

[halligan-elysium]

An essay made in a few hours out of spite to ""defend"" Woodrow Wilson.

Stand back and stand by Wilsonian Patriots, we'll defeat TYRANT Roosevelt yet.

This one is kind of rough, not even any music. Smh.

[nevinslibrary]

Totally Youthful Tuesday

I just heard about this urban legend on a podcast, and then I stumbled onto this book about the same legend. It seems to be a sign. I'm not sure what kind of sign it is at all, but, it feels like it's a sign. Either that I am William Taft, or that my tastes are so eclectic that they have come back around on themselves like an Ouroboros serpent.

So, William Taft, the 27th President of the United States was not a small man. So, the legend is that he once got stuck in a White House bathtub. And, this picture book has the whole government on the job trying to get the President unstuck.

What can I say, I’m a sucker for a bathtub picture book. And this reminded me so so much of my favorite of those, King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub. Do I believe the legend? Probably not, but it's a hilarious story for kids to enjoy.

You may like this book If you Liked: King Bidgood's in the Bathtub by Audrey Wood, Click, Clack, Ho Ho Ho! by Doreen Cronin, or Granny McFlitter by Heather Haylock

President Taft Is Stuck in the Bath by Mac Barnett

[markloveshistory]

Carpathia - History Connections

Carpathia – History Connections