William Taft Essay, Research Paper

William H. Taft (1857-1930)

His large size and his famous chuckle made Taft a memorable figure. He was 5 feet 11 inches tall, with fair skin, clear blue eyes, and light hair. At the time he was president he weighed 350 pounds. He joked about his bulk and took no offense at the jokes of others. Asked to accept a “chair of law” at Yale University, he replied that he would if they could make it a “sofa of law.” Chairs were a problem. He always “looked before he sat” to avoid armchairs or antiques in which he might get stuck or collapse.

When he was governor of the Philippines Taft made a trip into the mountains for the benefit of his health. He cabled Secretary of War Elihu Root: “Stood trip well. Rode horseback 25 miles to 5,000 feet elevation.” Root cabled back: “Referring to your telegram . . . how is the horse?”

His biographer, Henry F. Pringle, has described the Taft chuckle: “It was by all odds the most infectious chuckle in the history of politics. It started with a silent trembling of Taft’s ample stomach. The next sign was a pause in the reading of his speech, and the spread of a slow grin across his face. Then came a kind of gulp, which seemed to escape without his being aware that the climax was near. Laughter followed hard on the chuckle itself, and the audience invariably joined in.”

He had a reputation for laziness and for putting things off from day to day that was probably unfounded, for Taft accomplished a vast amount of work. A brilliant conversationalist and storyteller, he was considered to be a perfect host. He loved to entertain and be entertained, and he often dined out in private homes, though presidents usually do not do so while they are in office. In spite of his size he was a graceful dancer and played tennis well. He rode horseback almost daily, was an ardent golfer, and a baseball fan.