Presidential Biographies | Taft Administration - The Taft Administration Legacy

The Taft Administration Legacy

William Howard Taft, the second president during the Progressive movement in the United States, came to office in 1909 fully intending to advance the reform movement. He had been handpicked by his predecessor, Theodore Roosevelt, who certainly expected Taft to forward his policies. Taft so disappointed Roosevelt that in 1912 Roosevelt sought to retake the White House.

Although Taft tended to be more conservative than Roosevelt, Taft's major weakness was that he lacked the sort of political skill that Roosevelt had used to advance his policies. Because he was a good politician, Roosevelt was able to hold his party together even though not all Republicans were always enthralled with him. Taft, on the other hand, alienated Progressives in his own party. The dynamic Roosevelt also gained widespread popular support that aided him in his relations with Congress. Taft never won the admiration and...