William Howard Taft's Leadership Style

As William Howard Taft followed Roosevelt into the White House, he took on many positions that would ultimately lead him to a seat as Chief Justice on the Supreme Court, a position he had yearned for throughout his life. Although William Howard Taft’s entrance to the White House was made easy by Theodore Roosevelt, it proved difficult to follow in the footsteps of such a beloved leader. Driven by his desire to obtain a seat as Chief Justice on the Supreme Court, Taft took on many positions, such as the 27th president of the United States, that would ultimately put him in a better place to do so.
Born on September 15, 1857 to a prominent political family, William Howard Taft aspired to have a job of sitting on the United States Supreme Court from a very young age. Taft’s father, Alphonso Taft, was very politically involved. He was a well known Republican attorney and a distinguished judge in the Cincinnati area. Alphonso Taft held many high positions such as Secretary of War and Attorney General under President Grant, and an ambassador to Austria-Hungary and Russia under President Chester Arthur. Trailing in the legacy left behind by Taft’s father and his
During his years of college, he earned the nickname “Big Lub” (“William Howard Taft Biography”, 2016). Although having a very athletic childhood, Taft still struggled with obesity. As a child, he took dancing lessons and was even a promising baseball player, but as he got older, his father encouraged him to focus more on his studies instead of his athletics. Taft stood at almost six feet tall and weighed around 240 pounds, which later increased to around 350 pounds during his presidency. During his term at the White House, Taft became stuck in the tub which then required many servants and butter to free him. Nellie, his wife, then ordered a new tub for the White House, one that could hold four average sized men