Robert A. Taft

Robert A. Taft

Robert Alphonso Taft (born September 8, 1889 in Cincinnati , Ohio , † July 31, 1953 in New York City ) was an American politician and member of the Republican Party . He comes from the famous Taft family from Ohio, who have lived in Ohio since the 18th century and who produced a number of important US politicians and personalities, such as his son Robert Taft junior and William Howard Taft , the 27th  President of the United States . Taft was considered one of the most influential politicians of the conservative movement at the time.

Family, childhood, youth and entry into professional life

parents house

Robert Alphonso Taft was the grandson of the famous Justice and War Minister Alphonso Taft and the son of the future US President William Howard Taft and his wife Helen . The Tafts clan is one of the most important families in Ohio and in this respect is roughly comparable to the Kennedys, Bushs and other leading families, because they have repeatedly provided prominent representatives of the United States, especially in the fields of politics and justice, including judges, governors and with Taft's father even a President of the United States.

Childhood and youth

Taft spent several years of his childhood in the Philippines , as his father William H. Taft was governor of the islands that were then part of the United States.

school

Even during Taft's lifetime he was said to have a brilliant understanding of complex issues. He demonstrated this for the first time during his time as a student. He was already top of the class in the Taft School , a private school run by an uncle.

Studies and first professional activities

After finishing school, Taft attended Yale College as a student . There he again advanced to the top of the class in 1910. He was able to repeat this even after moving to Harvard Law School (1913). There he successfully studied law and worked as editor of the Harvard Law Review . After successfully completing his law degree, he took a job at Maxwell & Ramsey (now part of Graydon Head & Ritchey LLP ) in order to gain initial work experience at the company from Cincinnati, the city of his ancestors. In the fall of 1917, after the USA entered the First World War , he volunteered for military service, but was postponed due to poor eyesight. After a subsequent interlude in Washington , where he worked for the Federal Nutrition Administration, and Europe, he returned to Cincinnati, where he worked as an attorney and partner in a joint law firm.

marriage

On October 17, 1914, Taft married Martha Wheaton Bowers, the daughter of Lloyd Wheaton Bowers, who was a longtime political companion, collaborator and confidante of his father. His wife was an important support in his life. As a confidant, she played a not inconsiderable part of his political life. It was also very important for Taft's image because of its charm, as Taft himself seemed rather matter-of-fact, hypothermic and taciturn and it was said that he was a bit harsh.

children

Taft and his wife had four children together, all of them sons:

• William Howard Taft III (1915–1991), who worked among other things as US ambassador to Ireland.
• Robert Taft, Jr. (1917–1993), who was elected to the Senate;
• Lloyd Bowers Taft I (1923–1985)
• Horace Dwight Taft (1925-1983) who became a physics professor and dean at Yale.

All of the sons had careers for their part, but not all of them in politics. Taft's grandson Robert Alphonso Taft II , the son of Robert Taft, Jr. was governor of Ohio from 1999 to 2007 , following in his grandfather's footsteps.

Professional and political life

law firm

Together with his brother Charles and other business partners, Robert Taft founded a law firm that still operates under the name Taft, Stettinus & Hollister to this day . Taft remained active in the firm until his death.

Early public career

Because the army did not draft him due to poor eyesight, Taft began his work in the federal administration instead. His first position was in the Food and Drug Administration in 1917 , where he met Herbert Hoover . Hoover subsequently became Taft's role model. Taft worked in Europe from 1918 to 1919. In Paris he worked as a legal advisor to the American Relief Administration . There he saw the end and the often poor living conditions in Europe immediately after the end of the First World War . The American Relief Administration , headed by Hoover, was already distributing food to civilians in Europe before the end of the war and especially after the war, including not only the Entente countries but also to badly beaten Germany and to Russia, shaken by war, civil war and the Bolshevik revolution. During these activities Robert A. Taft developed increasing distrust of the state bureaucracy due to its inefficiency. He also saw the administrative bureaucracy as harmful to the rights of the individual. For Taft, however, it was precisely these individual rights that he advocated and advocated throughout his political life. Just as little as the administrative bureaucracy, Taft trusted the League of Nations . He generally distrusted European politicians. He was in favor of an international court of justice (world court), which was given appropriate powers and was supposed to enforce international law. However, this should only arise after his death.

In 1919 Taft returned to Ohio and supported his idol Hoover there during the election campaign for the office of President of the United States of America. Around the same time, the law firm was founded with his brother Charlie and other lawyers.

First political office

For the Republicans, Robert A. Taft ran for the first time in 1920 for a seat in the Ohio House of Representatives . He was promptly given a seat there. In 1926 he even became the official spokesman for this house. He was also the leader of the Republican majority faction there at the same time.

In 1930 Taft first took up a position as senator. He succeeded in this at the first attempt, but after another vote in 1932, to which he was defeated, he had to temporarily vacate his senatorial chair. Nevertheless, he remained politically and legally active. Above all, he exposed himself as a reformer and modernizer of outdated tax law, particularly in the state of Ohio. He also made a name for himself as a prominent opponent of the racist Ku Klux Klan . Taft also made a name for himself as an opponent of prohibition during this period. He became one of the most influential politicians during the interwar period, both locally and in the state of Ohio. He was also very well respected in legal circles. Quote: Robert A. Taft about himself (1922): “while I have no difficulty talking, I don't know how to do any of the eloquence business which makes for enthusiasm or applause”. Even if Taft was considered a boring speaker, he was nonetheless a tireless worker with a broad field of activity and far-reaching political interest. In particular, his high level of comprehension and the ability to survey, explain and present even complex issues in various subject areas earned him the respect of many reporters and politicians. That is why his political opponents from the Democrats described him somewhat jokingly with the following sentence: "Taft has the best mind in Washington, until he makes it up."

Taft as a senator

Taft in 1939

Taft was elected US Senator three times . He began his first term in office following the Senate elections in 1938. Together with some Democrats, especially from the southern United States, he was fundamentally opposed to the New Deal , which was based on the young and emerging theories of the economist John Maynard Keynes . It was possible to significantly limit the spread of the New Deal's practices, although Taft continued to pursue his goal of withdrawing the New Deal's measures. In doing so, he intended on the one hand to streamline and improve the efficiency of the administrative bureaucracy, on the other hand he was of the opinion that the free economy could, should and will voluntarily achieve the recovery of national economic power after the global economic crisis . He described the New Deal as socialist and criticized the national debt, known as deficit-spending , to stimulate the economy and, in contrast, called for subsidies for agriculture. He also repeatedly attacked the ineffective state administration and the National Labor Relations Board . On the other hand, all of this contrasted with his fundamental commitment to a conservative program geared towards economic growth. He advocated the freedom of individual economic activity and an adequate social welfare system. Moreover, he was a staunch advocate of an isolationist policy in the USA and for a long time was vehemently opposed to a possible entry into a European war by the United States of America . In particular, he appeared in this regard between 1939 and 1941. After the attack on Pearl Harbor , however, Taft supported the war effort of the United States, even if he had previously strengthened the America First Committee , which was anti-war influence , of which he was never personally a member.

In 1944 Taft was re-elected to the Senate, also in 1950. In 1944, Taft was elected chairman of the so-called Senate Republican Conference , which in German could best be described as the faction of the Republican US Senators.

The Taft-Hartley Labor Act of 1947

When the Republicans regained a majority in Congress in 1946, Taft focused on labor issues and took over the chairmanship of the Senate Labor Committee . In this function he made a decisive contribution to the drafting of the law named after him and Fred A. Hartley , which will form the basis for labor law in the United States into the 21st century. Though it gives the unions some rights, it essentially limits their ability to act by banning "unfair trade union practice" whatever that means. The trade unions were also banned from political activity. Likewise, the law forced every union leader to give a certificate stating that they were not communists. The President was allowed to stop strikes in court for an eighty-day period of calm if they could jeopardize the national interest. The Taft-Hartley Act was passed in 1947 against the veto of then Democratic President Harry S. Truman by a two-thirds majority with the approval of some Democratic MPs.

Taft's final years as a politician

Another law that enjoyed Taft's considerable support and influence was the so-called Taft-Wagner-Ellender Housing Act , which supported public housing, particularly in the city-center area, through state subsidies. On the other hand, a law to reform the US education system, which he had also tried, was not implemented. As a foreign politician, Taft remained true to his isolationist outlook during this period. In the Soviet Union , despite increasing differences, he saw no real threat to the United States of America. Also, unlike a large number of his contemporaries and especially his party comrades, he was not one of those who was too concerned with the alleged threat of communism within the USA. The Truman Doctrine advocated Taft, while the Marshall Plan agreed reluctantly and NATO completely opposed to standing. He described them as useless and provocative. He was at the forefront of critics condemning President Truman's handling of the Korean War .

Ambitions as a Republican presidential candidate

As part of the nomination campaigns for the Republican presidential candidacy, Robert A. Taft tried three times in vain to be nominated as a Republican candidate for the highest office of the state that his father had once held. In 1940 he was defeated by the much more charismatic Wendell Willkie , while at the same time he became more and more Mr. Republican . Taft earned this nickname as the chief ideologist and spokesman for proponents of extremely conservative paleoconservatism within the Republican Party.

Also in 1948 Taft was defeated in the race for the presidential candidacy of his political camp. Instead, his arch rival, New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey , ran as a candidate against Truman. Taft had strong support, especially among the right-wing conservative loyalists, but was unable to win over the independents. This may have been due, among other things, to his negative attitude towards collecting campaign funds.

Four years later, in 1952, Taft tried again to succeed Truman, who had left the presidency after two terms in office, but this time too he was defeated by a more charismatic opponent, namely Dwight D. Eisenhower , although he had a strong base within his party could. At that time, he promised his supporters that the former General Douglas MacArthur would be nominated as Vice President. After his defeat, he congratulated Eisenhower on his victory at a meeting and assured him of his support. Nevertheless, he retired to his summer residence in Québec , Canada , and was silent. After a few weeks, Eisenhower's helpers complained that Taft's people were not getting involved. A meeting of the leaders of the two camps in New York was arranged. There Taft and Eisenhower largely came to an agreement. Eisenhower promised not to punish Taft's “partisans” with reprisals, to cut public spending and to crack down on socialism at home. Domestically, the differences were not very great either. This looked fundamentally different in the area of ​​foreign policy. Here the opinions and convictions of Taft and Eisenhower collided. Taft was still an opponent of NATO due to his isolationist attitude , while Eisenhower was a strong supporter of NATO and advocated an active anti-communist foreign policy.

After Eisenhower took office, Taft provided him with considerable domestic political support. Taft also met his new role as leader of the majority parliamentary group in the Senate. He worked hard helping inexperienced new federal officials in the administration. He also tried, albeit without great success, to curb the excessive anti-communist practices of Joseph McCarthy . And in April 1953 the two former opponents Taft and Eisenhower could be seen playing golf together and in friendship. Taft publicly praised Eisenhower. It seemed as if the 1952 defeat had made Taft more meek. In any case, with the ambitions to conquer the presidency, Taft's gruff gait and inner-party aggressiveness, which earned him the comparison with a partisan, also disappeared. He developed into a conciliatory and balanced person.

Death and legacy

After he was diagnosed with cancer in April 1953, Taft continued to work, but during an operation to examine the cancer and how it was spreading, it was found that it was well advanced. A short time later, on July 31, 1953, Taft died of a cerebral haemorrhage during his postoperative stay in hospital. With Taft's demise, the young government team lost one of its most important supporters. Robert A. Taft found his final resting place in the Indian Hill Episcopal Church Cemetery in his hometown of Cincinnati. Thomas A. Burke was appointed his successor in the Senate ; the leadership of the Republican faction took over William F. Knowland .

In 1957, a committee chaired by then Senator and later President John F. Kennedy elected the five greatest predecessors as Senators, whose oval portraits were to decorate the so-called President's Room in the Senate. One of the five handpicked ex-senators who were honored with this was Robert A. Taft I, who had died four years earlier. In 1959, Taft's portrait was officially unveiled in the Senate, along with four others.

Another posthumous honor was bestowed on Taft when John F. Kennedy described him in his Pulitzer Prize- winning book Profiles in Courage and praised his personal attitude. Kennedy specifically described and acknowledged Taft's criticism of the Nuremberg War Crimes Tribunal, which Taft referred to as ex post facto law , i.e. a law that is applied retrospectively to cases that would not have been a criminal offense under previously applicable law.

A memorial in honor of Taft, the Robert A. Taft Memorial , which includes a statue and a clock tower, was erected near the Capitol in Washington.

literature

Secondary sources

• James T.Patterson: Mr. Republican: A Biography of Robert A. Taft , Boston 1972. (This book is regarded as the standard scientific work on the person of Robert A. Taft.)
• Ronald Radosh: Prophets on the right: Profiles of conservative critics of American globalism . New York 1975. (This book describes Taft and other Isolationists, focusing on the period of World War II and the early days of the Cold War. In particular, Taft's attitude to war, his proximity to the American First Committee, and his attitude towards the NATO are described in detail there.)
• William S. White: The Taft Story . New York 1954. (This book won the Pulitzer Prize in 1955. )
• Clarence E. Wunderlin: Robert A Taft: Ideas, Tradition, And Party In US Foreign Policy . o. O. 2005.
• Robert Alphonso Taft . In: Dictionary of American Biography, Supplement 5: 1951-1955 . American Council of Learned Societies, undated 1977.
• John F. Kennedy: Profiles in Courage , o. O. 1956. (John F. Kennedy not only won the Pulitzer Prize with this book, but also made a name for himself politically. This book contributed to Kennedie's fame and reputation in America and can therefore be seen as an important step towards his later presidency.)
• Paul Gottfried: The Conservative Movement . o. O. 1993.

Source volumes

• Russell Kirk, James McClellan (Eds.): The Political Principles of Robert A. Taft . o. O. 1967.
• Clarence E. Wunderlin Jr. et al. (Ed.): The Papers of Robert A. Taft . Vol. 1: 1889-1939 (1998 ed.); Vol. 2: 1940-1944 (ed. 2001); Vol. 3: 1945-1948 (ed. 2003); Vol. 4: 1949-1953 (ed. 2006).

Newspaper articles

• Marie Smith: Taft Portrait Is Presented at Capitol to GOP Senators. In: The Washington Post , June 18, 1959.

Web links

Commons : Robert A. Taft  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Wikiquote: Robert A. Taft  - Quotes

• Robert A. Taft in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• Robert A. Taft in nndb (English)
• Newspaper article about Robert A. Taft in the 20th century press kit of the ZBW - Leibniz Information Center for Economics .
• Harvard Law Review , of which Taft has temporarily been editor.
• The Taft family on spiritus-temporis.com
• The Taft Story (online book)
• Biographical information and final resting places of the Tafts on politicalgraveyard.com
• Alexander Cockburn: How Many Democrats Voted for Taft-Hartley . essay
• Biography and picture of Taft on the US Senate website
• Architect of the Capitol with information about the Robert A. Taft Memorial (including images)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ James T. Patterson: Mr. Republican: A Biography of Robert A. Taft . o. O. 1972.
2. ↑ James T. Patterson: Mr. Republican: A Biography of Robert A. Taft. Boston 1972, passim.
3. ↑ ibid.
4. ↑ Family Taft ( Memento of the original from December 20, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on spiritus-temporis.com 
5. ↑ Article regarding the activities of ARA BBC News
6. ^ Clarence E. Wunderlin: Robert A. Taft: Ideas, Tradition, and Party in US Foreign Policy. New York 2005, passim.
7. ↑ James T. Patterson: Mr. Republican: A Biography of Robert A. Taft. Boston 1972, passim.
8. ^ Quote from Robert A. Taft in: ibid.
9. ↑ ibid.
10. ^ David Kennedy, Freedom from Fear: The American People in Depression and War , 1929-1945. New York 1999, p. 326ff., 347ff. and 454f .; Clarence E. Wunderlin: Robert A. Taft: Ideas, Tradition, and Party in US Foreign Policy. New York 2005, passim; James T. Patterson: Mr. Republican: A Biography of Robert A. Taft. Boston 1972, passim.
11. ↑ America First Committee ( Memento of the original from October 10, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. to the background or Future of Freedom Foundation ( memento of the original from September 26, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. as well as America First Committee in the English language Wikipedia and the sources and references cited there.  
12. ↑ Senate Republican Conference (SRC) ( Memento of the original dated August 29, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
13. ↑ James T. Patterson: Mr. Republican: A Biography of Robert A. Taft. Boston 1972.
14. ↑ Alexander Cockburn: How Many Democrats Voted for Taft-Hartley . Private assessment of the Wikipedia author: This report is worth reading, but also somewhat subjective.
15. ↑ ibid.
16. ↑ ibid.
17. ↑ ibid.
18. ^ Paul Gottfried: The Conservative Movement . o. O. 1993, on this and on the term paleoconservatism . The quote “Mr. Republican ”is mentioned in Robert Taft in the English language Wikipedia and apparently not fundamentally doubted either, but expressly with reference to missing references / sources.
19. ^ Clarence E. Wunderlin: Robert A. Taft: Ideas, Tradition, and Party in US Foreign Policy. New York 2005.
20. ↑ ibid.
21. ↑ Biographical information and final resting places of the Tafts (politicalgraveyard.com)
22. ^ Marie Smith: Taft Portrait Is Presented at Capitol to GOP Senators. In: The Washington Post , June 18, 1959.
23. ^ John F. Kennedy: Profiles in Courage , o. O. 1956, ISBN 0-06-085493-6 .
24. ^ Website Architect of the Capitol with information about the Robert A. Taft Memorial (incl. Images)