William Howard Taft was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. After graduating from Yale in 1878, he practiced law and became involved in local Republican politics. In 1887 he was appointed as a judge to the Ohio superior court. He served as U.S. solicitor general from 1890 to 1892 and as a U.S. circuit court judge from 1892 to 1900. Taft became the first American governor of the Philippines in 1901. He served as U.S. secretary of war from 1904 to 1908. During the administration of President Theodore Roosevelt, Taft organized the construction of the Panama Canal. In 1908 Taft was elected president. During his one term, he promoted antitrust legislation. After being defeated for re-election in 1912, Taft became a law professor at Yale University, where he taught until 1921. He was appointed chief justice of the Supreme Court in 1921 and served until his death in 1930.
