Bob Taft

Bob Taft (2002)

Robert Alphonso "Bob" Taft III (born January 8, 1942 in Boston , Massachusetts ) is an American politician ( Republican Party ). He was governor of the state of Ohio from January 1999 to January 2007 .

Life

Bob Taft comes from a prominent political family. His great-grandfather, William Howard Taft, was the 27th President of the United States . His grandfather, Robert A. Taft, and his father, Robert Taft junior, were both US Senators . He is also distantly related to former US President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney . Taft attended Princeton University and then studied law at the University of Cincinnati College of Law . After that he was a volunteer teacher in East Africa on behalf of the Peace Corps .

Political rise

In keeping with family tradition, Bob Taft also took up the profession of politician. Between 1976 and 1981 he was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives . Between 1981 and 1990 he was employed by Hamilton County as a county commissioner . In 1986 he unsuccessfully applied for the office of lieutenant governor . Between 1991 and 1999 he was Secretary of State of Ohio. Taft was elected governor of Ohio in 1998 with 50% of the vote against his Democratic rival Lee Fisher . His re-election for the second and final term as governor he achieved in 2002 with 58% against the Democrat Tim Hagan , who received 38%.

Governor of ohio

From January 1, 1999 to January 8, 2007, Bob Taft was governor of Ohio. Its aim was to create new, well-paying jobs. The school system should also be improved. Under Taft, the death penalty was reintroduced in Ohio . As a result of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 , Ohio was also hit by the economic recession. Taft's plans also suffered as a result. There were also some allegations against the governor for favoring lobbyists in office. On August 17, 2005, he was fined $ 4,000 plus court costs for four violations. According to the state constitution, this judgment should have led to his impeachment. Since this was waived, however, he was able to end his term of office regularly.

According to TIME magazine , Taft was one of the three worst US governors. In December 2005, his approval rating among the population fell to 17%, while 80% rejected him. On December 27, 2006, Taft was reprimanded by the Supreme Court of Ohio for failing to register gifts valued at $ 6,000. This complaint was attached to his file with the Bar Association. Taft has been with the University of Dayton since August 2007 . He is married and has one child.

During his tenure, Ohio began executing people again after 1976. A total of 24 people were executed in Ohio during his tenure between 1999 and 2006.

Number of executions per year during his tenure:

year	1999	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
number	1	1	3	3	7th	4th	5

Ohio is the northern state with the highest number of death sentences carried out since 1976.

Web links

Commons : Bob Taft  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

• Bob Taft in the nndb (English)
• Robert Taft in the National Governors Association (English)
• Robert Taft in the Ohio History Connection Archives