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The William Howard Taft Administration

William H. Taft, the second U.S. president of the Progressive Era, suffered during and since his presidency from comparisons with his predecessor, Theodore Roosevelt, and his successor, Woodrow Wilson. During his presidency Taft was a supporter of the Progressive agenda, which included conservation of the nation's resources and wildlife, the break up of business trusts and monopolies that stifled the free market, and an increased responsiveness of the federal government to the will of the people. While his accomplishments were not insignificant, Taft is best remembered for his failures. Unable and to some extent unwilling to follow the example set by Roosevelt, Taft upset many within his own Republican Party with his actions. This split not only ensured his defeat in the 1912 election, but helped Democrat Wilson to capture the presidency.