William Howard Taft

Jeffrey Rosen

William Howard Taft never wanted to be president, but won resounding victory in the election of 1908 as Theodore Roosevelt's handpicked successor. The only man to serve as both president and chief justice on the Supreme Court, Taft played a crucial role in shaping how American balances populism against the rule of law. Rosen shows how Taft approached every decision in constitutional terms, defending the Founders' vision of limited government. "William Howard Taft never wanted to be president and yearned instead to serve as chief justice of the United States. But despite his ambivalence about politics, the former federal judge found success in the executive branch as governor of the Philippines and secretary of war, and he won a resounding victory in the presidential election of 1908 as Theodore Roosevelt's handpicked successor. In office, Taft sought to put Roosevelt's activist...