President 27 of 47
William Howard Taft
1909–1913 · Republican · Ohio
The only person to be president and later chief justice of the Supreme Court.
- Lived
- 1857–1930
- Vice president
- James S. Sherman
- Nickname
- Big Bill
- Home state
- Ohio
“Presidents come and go, but the Supreme Court goes on forever.”
The story
William Howard Taft was president from 1909 to 1913, right after Theodore Roosevelt. He was a Republican from Ohio. People called the large, friendly man Big Bill. Roosevelt chose Taft as his successor. Later they fell out, and TR ran against him.
Taft was quieter than Roosevelt, but his Justice Department actually filed more antitrust suits. His way of busting trusts was more methodical, with less theater. In 1912, while he was president, New Mexico and Arizona joined the Union — the last of the lower 48 states. His plan to use American loans and business abroad was called Dollar Diplomacy: U.S. money and trade could spread influence without always sending troops.
Taft is the only president who later became chief justice of the United States. He headed two of the three branches of the federal government — but not at the same time, because the Constitution separates the branches. He truly loved serving on the Supreme Court more than campaigning for president. In 1912 he finished third, behind Wilson and TR, after Roosevelt's Bull Moose run split the Republican vote.
Why it matters
He is a civics lesson you can see: president is the executive, chief justice is the judiciary, and those jobs stay separate even when one person has held both.
Check for understanding
20 questions from the lesson above. Misses come with a short explanation — then the lesson is yours.
Question 1 of 20
0 correct