First published 2018
William Howard Taft stands alone in American history as the only person to hold both the presidency and the chief justiceship. Jeffrey Rosen examines how this reluctant politician shaped the balance between populist democracy and constitutional law. Taft never wanted the White House. He preferred judicial work and longed to serve on the Supreme Court. Yet he excelled as governor of the Philippines and secretary of war before winning the 1908 presidential election as Roosevelt's chosen heir. As president, Taft insisted he could only exercise powers the Constitution explicitly granted, putting him at odds with Roosevelt's expansive view of executive authority. This constitutional disagreement split the Republican Party in 1912. Taft saw that election as a battle to defend the Constitution against populist demagogues. Nine years later, President Harding fulfilled Taft's dream by naming him chief justice. On the Court, Taft built consensus and modernized the federal judiciary into a coequal branch of government. Rosen reveals how Taft's constitutional philosophy offers lessons for contemporary debates about presidential power and democratic institutions.
Genres: biography, history, 20th-century, political-science, 21st-century, american-history
Vibes: historical, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-figure, political-drama
Setting: Philippines, United States
Period: 19th-century, 20th-century
191 pages · Kindle Edition · Times Books