![]() ![]() ![]() The former president challenged his successor for renomination in 1912, but the latter used his control of the party machinery to win a majority of delegates. Controversies within the administration separated the two men further. His administration was fraught with conflict between the conservative wing, with which Taft often sympathized, and the progressive wing, with which Roosevelt grew increasingly close. Taft sought to reduce trade taxes, then a major source of government revenue, but the resulting bill was heavily influenced by special interests. In the White House he focused more on East Asia than Europe and also repeatedly intervened to establish or remove governments in Latin American countries. Taft faced little opposition to secure the Republican nomination for president in 1908, easily defeating William Jennings Bryan, the Democratic Party candidate, in the election. He turned down several offers of appointment to the United States Supreme Court, despite his personal ambition to become Chief Justice, because he believed his political work was more important. Taft became in 1904 the Secretary of War for Roosevelt, who personally chose him to be his successor in the presidency. President William McKinley appointed him in 1901 as civilian governor-general of the Philippines. He continued his rapid rise, being appointed Solicitor General and a judge of the Court of Appeals. He studied at Yale until 1878, then became a lawyer and then a judge under the age of thirty. Taft was born into a modest but extremely demanding family about success. ![]()
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