Taft Becomes Chief Justice: Only Man to Hold Both Offices
William Howard Taft weighed 340 pounds when he got stuck in the White House bathtub in 1910. Eleven years later, he became Chief Justice—the job he'd actually wanted all along. He'd spent four miserable years as president, losing reelection to Woodrow Wilson in 1912, then waited. When Chief Justice Edward White died in May 1921, President Harding appointed Taft. He served nine years on the bench, happier than he'd ever been at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Turns out the presidency was just his stepping stone to the Supreme Court.
July 11, 1921
105 years ago
Key Figures & Places
President of the United States
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Supreme Court of the United States
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Chief Justice of the United States
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William Howard Taft
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President
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William Howard Taft
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Chief Justice of the United States
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Supreme Court of the United States
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John Quincy Adams
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1848
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United States
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