President of the Day

What two states were admitted to the Union during Taft's administration?

New Mexico and Arizona became the forty-seventh and forty-eighth states respectively during the time that Taft was president. Thus, the Taft presidency oversaw the completion of the full continental United States. Only Alaska and Hawaii would be added to the current total of fifty.

What was "Dollar Diplomacy?"

Dollar Diplomacy referred to the U.S. policy toward gaining economic footholds in countries in Central and South America. Taft and Knox formulated a plan that would use U.S. strength to set up favorable economic positions for U.S. business interests. The term is used pejoratively by some who criticized the United States for overreaching and exploiting foreign countries for economic gain.

President Benjamin Harrison then appointed him to what position?

President Benjamin Harrison appointed Taft to the prestigious position of U.S. solicitor general. The solicitor general has the opportunity to represent the government before the U.S. Supreme Court. Therefore, Taft went on to argue numerous cases before the Court.

When did Taft land his dream job?

In 1921, President Warren G. Harding nominated Taft to become the nation's Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. The U.S. Senate confirmed him the very same day he was nominated by an overwhelming vote of sixty to four. He served as Chief Justice for nine years until his death in 1930. He wrote more than 250 opinions during his career. Even more importantly, he showed great leadership of the Court. He successfully lobbied Congress for the Judiciary Act of 1925, which gave the Court greater control over its docket. He also managed to convince Congress to create more than twenty new federal judgeships. Finally, he used his political influence to help convince Congress that the Court needed a better location. Many members of the U.S. Supreme Court have praised Taft for his work as an effective administrator of the federal judiciary.

When and where did he die?

Taft, who was the largest president in U.S. history, suffered from several health problems after he left the presidency, including high blood pressure and heart disease. He died on March 8, 1930, in Washington, D.C. He remains the only person in United States history to serve as a president of the United States and Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. In fact, no other president has ever served in any capacity on the Supreme Court.

From The Handy Presidents Answer Book, Second Edition by David L. Hudson, Jr., JD., (c) Visible Ink Press(R) More than 1,600 things you never knew about our nation's leaders