Henry W. Taft
Encyclopedia
Henry Waters Taft was the son of Alphonso
and brother of President
William Howard Taft
.
and commencement orator of the class of 1880. Taft also studied at Cincinnati and Columbia Law Schools. He received an honorary MA from Yale
in 1905.
In 1882, he was admitted to the bar, and began the practice of law in Ohio
. Shortly afterward, he joined Strong & Cadwalader, in New York City, later Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft. He also became counsel to the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad. After building up a reputation as a lawyer, Taft decided to run for Justice of the New York Supreme Court
. He was defeated. Two years later, he was offered the position by Theodore Roosevelt
, but he declined. The following year, he was appointed to the Charter Revision Commission to revise charter of Greater New York. From 1905 to January 1907, he was a special assistant to Attorney Generals
William H. Moody and Charles Joseph Bonaparte
to investigate and prosecute the Tobacco Trust. During the trial, Taft pushed for the Tobacco Trust to release certain books, which they refused to submit as evidence. From 1917 to 1919, he was Chairman of the Permanent Legal Advisory Board for Greater New York. He also served on the Commission on Reorganisation of the New York State Government, from 1925 to 1926. In 1926, he was appointed to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court. Taft became one of the most noted lawyers in New York
. He was a member of: the Association of the Bar of the City of New York
(Vice President, 1911–1912); Chairman of the War Commission, 1917-1920 (President, 1923–1925); the New York County Lawyers' Association (Vice President, 1914–1918, 1923–1930; President, 1930–1932); the New York State Bar Association (President, 1919–1920); the American Bar Association (Chairman of the Committee on Jurisprudence and Law Reform); the New York Law Institute; the American Law Institute; the International Law Association; and the Maritime Law Association
During the annual convention of the American Bar Association, the delegates made a trip to Bohemian Grove
. Taft who was among them said, 'There among the giant redwoods the spirit that is San Francisco was revealed to the visitors. The amalgamation of San Francisco Society through its love of beauty, through it cultural purpose has no duplicate in America and the Bohemian Club which unites the world of big business and the world of fine art, literature and cultural ideals could only exist in a community such as this.' Taft said his brother, William Howard Taft, was also very fond of the Bohemian Club
.
He was a Trustee of the Mutual Life Insurance Company and the Central Savings Bank.
Taft was a member of the New York City Board of Education, from 1896 to 1900; Trustee of the College of the City of New York, from 1903 to 1905; Trustee of the New York Public Library, from 1908 to 1919; President of the Council of University Settlement House
, from 1917 to 1919; member of the Advisory Committee to investigate public schools of New York City, in 1931; member of the Committee on Cost of Public Education, in 1933; and President of the League for Political Education, from 1919 to 1935.
He was affiliated with the Republican Party and was a delegate to the Republican National Convention
, in 1920 and 1924. Taft was a supporter of the League of Nations
, and wrote several articles on the organisation for the New York Times. He also wrote for other newspapers, including The Times
.
Taft was Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Salvation Army for New York City, from 1920 to 1940.
He was decorated by the Emperor of Japan with the Order of the Double Rays of the Rising Sun, in 1929.
He was the author of: Occasional Papers and Addresses of an American Lawyer, (1920); Japan and the Far East Conference, (1921); Law Reform-Papers and Addresses by a Practicing Lawyer, (1926); An Essay on Conversation, (1927); Kindred Arts-Conversation and Public Speaking, (1929); Japan and America-A Journey and a Political Survey, (1932); Witnesses in Court, (1934); Opinions-Literary and Otherwise, (1934); A Century and a Half at the New York Bar, (1938); Legal Miscellanies-Six Decades of Changes and Progress, (1941)
on 11 August 1945. He had been in the St. Luke's Hospital for fourteen weeks as the result of a hip injury received after a fall.
, City Midday Club of New York, Down Town Association
, New England Society Ohio Society, Park Avenue Association, Pilgrims of the United States, Psi Upsilon
, Skull and Bones
and the Sons of the American Revolution
.
Alphonso Taft
Alphonso Taft was the Attorney General and Secretary of War under President Ulysses S. Grant and the founder of an American political dynasty. He was the father of U.S...
and brother of President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
.
Biography
He graduated from Yale in 1880 with a BA, where he was a member of Skull and BonesSkull and Bones
Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....
and commencement orator of the class of 1880. Taft also studied at Cincinnati and Columbia Law Schools. He received an honorary MA from Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
in 1905.
In 1882, he was admitted to the bar, and began the practice of law in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. Shortly afterward, he joined Strong & Cadwalader, in New York City, later Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft. He also became counsel to the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad. After building up a reputation as a lawyer, Taft decided to run for Justice of the New York Supreme Court
New York Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in thestate court system of New York, United States. There is a supreme court in each of New York State's 62 counties, although some smaller counties share judges with neighboring counties...
. He was defeated. Two years later, he was offered the position by Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
, but he declined. The following year, he was appointed to the Charter Revision Commission to revise charter of Greater New York. From 1905 to January 1907, he was a special assistant to Attorney Generals
United States Attorney General
The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. The attorney general is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government...
William H. Moody and Charles Joseph Bonaparte
Charles Joseph Bonaparte
Charles Joseph Bonaparte was an American lawyer and political activist from Maryland who served in the Cabinet of President Theodore Roosevelt. Bonaparte was Secretary of the Navy and then Attorney General. While Attorney General, he created the Bureau of Investigation...
to investigate and prosecute the Tobacco Trust. During the trial, Taft pushed for the Tobacco Trust to release certain books, which they refused to submit as evidence. From 1917 to 1919, he was Chairman of the Permanent Legal Advisory Board for Greater New York. He also served on the Commission on Reorganisation of the New York State Government, from 1925 to 1926. In 1926, he was appointed to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court. Taft became one of the most noted lawyers in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He was a member of: the Association of the Bar of the City of New York
Association of the Bar of the City of New York
The New York City Bar Association , founded in 1870, is a voluntary association of lawyers and law students. Since 1896, the organization, formally known as the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, has been headquartered in a landmark building on 44th Street, between Fifth and Sixth...
(Vice President, 1911–1912); Chairman of the War Commission, 1917-1920 (President, 1923–1925); the New York County Lawyers' Association (Vice President, 1914–1918, 1923–1930; President, 1930–1932); the New York State Bar Association (President, 1919–1920); the American Bar Association (Chairman of the Committee on Jurisprudence and Law Reform); the New York Law Institute; the American Law Institute; the International Law Association; and the Maritime Law Association
During the annual convention of the American Bar Association, the delegates made a trip to Bohemian Grove
Bohemian Grove
Bohemian Grove is a campground located at 20601 Bohemian Avenue, in Monte Rio, California, belonging to a private San Francisco-based men's art club known as the Bohemian Club...
. Taft who was among them said, 'There among the giant redwoods the spirit that is San Francisco was revealed to the visitors. The amalgamation of San Francisco Society through its love of beauty, through it cultural purpose has no duplicate in America and the Bohemian Club which unites the world of big business and the world of fine art, literature and cultural ideals could only exist in a community such as this.' Taft said his brother, William Howard Taft, was also very fond of the Bohemian Club
Bohemian Club
The Bohemian Club is a private men's club in San Francisco, California, United States.Its clubhouse is located at 624 Taylor Street in San Francisco...
.
He was a Trustee of the Mutual Life Insurance Company and the Central Savings Bank.
Taft was a member of the New York City Board of Education, from 1896 to 1900; Trustee of the College of the City of New York, from 1903 to 1905; Trustee of the New York Public Library, from 1908 to 1919; President of the Council of University Settlement House
University Settlement House
University Settlement Society of New York is located at 184 Eldridge Street on New York's Lower East Side...
, from 1917 to 1919; member of the Advisory Committee to investigate public schools of New York City, in 1931; member of the Committee on Cost of Public Education, in 1933; and President of the League for Political Education, from 1919 to 1935.
He was affiliated with the Republican Party and was a delegate to the Republican National Convention
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...
, in 1920 and 1924. Taft was a supporter of the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
, and wrote several articles on the organisation for the New York Times. He also wrote for other newspapers, including The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
.
Taft was Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Salvation Army for New York City, from 1920 to 1940.
He was decorated by the Emperor of Japan with the Order of the Double Rays of the Rising Sun, in 1929.
He was the author of: Occasional Papers and Addresses of an American Lawyer, (1920); Japan and the Far East Conference, (1921); Law Reform-Papers and Addresses by a Practicing Lawyer, (1926); An Essay on Conversation, (1927); Kindred Arts-Conversation and Public Speaking, (1929); Japan and America-A Journey and a Political Survey, (1932); Witnesses in Court, (1934); Opinions-Literary and Otherwise, (1934); A Century and a Half at the New York Bar, (1938); Legal Miscellanies-Six Decades of Changes and Progress, (1941)
Death
Taft died in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on 11 August 1945. He had been in the St. Luke's Hospital for fourteen weeks as the result of a hip injury received after a fall.
Memberships
He was a member of the Century AssociationCentury Association
__notoc__The Century Association is a private club in New York City. It evolved out of an earlier organization – the Sketch Club, founded in 1829 by editor and poet William Cullen Bryant and his friends – and was established in 1847 by Bryant and others as a club to promote interest in...
, City Midday Club of New York, Down Town Association
Down Town Association
The Down Town Association in the City of New York is a private club in Downtown Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. Located at 60 Pine Street, is the fifth oldest of all existing New York private clubs, and was the first formed in Lower Manhattan...
, New England Society Ohio Society, Park Avenue Association, Pilgrims of the United States, Psi Upsilon
Psi Upsilon
Psi Upsilon is the fifth oldest college fraternity in the United States, founded at Union College in 1833. It has chapters at colleges and universities throughout North America. For most of its history, Psi Upsilon, like most social fraternities, limited its membership to men only...
, Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....
and the Sons of the American Revolution
Sons of the American Revolution
The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution is a Louisville, Kentucky-based fraternal organization in the United States...
.
Honors
- Imperial Order of Meiji, 1929
- Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver StarOrder of the Rising SunThe is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese Government, created on April 10, 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight from the rising sun...
, 1929.