Saturday, September 15, 2007

September 15, 1857:

William Howard Taft's Birthday


Today is the birthday of William Howard Taft, 27th President of the United States and 10th Chief Justice of the United States. Mostly forgotten are humorous anecdotes about him, but these days there's a web site devoted to the subject, so funny Taft stories aren't completely relegated to library microfilms.


For example: "Even by 1905 this story was old, but as an article that year noted, 'It is such a good old story that it can never be printed too often': When Taft was Governor of the Philippines he explored the mountainous islands. After a particularly arduous trip, he cabled to Secretary of State Elihu Root, 'Rode forty miles on horseback to-day; feeling fine.' Root wired back, 'Glad you are feeling fine; how is the horse?'


Several pages of such stories are here.

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