William Howard Taft: Bathtubs, Bull Moose, and Betrayals
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- čas přidán 15. 05. 2022
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You should do Grover Cleveland next he's the president I wanna learn about the most :)
Who declared war on who?
no citations?
He looked so much happier as Supreme Court Justice, like a child who got exactly what he wanted for Christmas.
It wasn't his ambition to be president but chief justice. His wife wanted him to be president. Thus, he is the first person to take the oath of office as president and to administer the oath of office to a president.
@@michaelmacaraig2841
First and, thus far, last.
He never wanted to be President to begin with
@@prestonjones1653Charles Evans Hughes came close.
“Don’t write so you can be understood, write so you can’t be misunderstood”
William Howard Taft
Then they just give up and stop reading or only read what they want to hear.... Worse they pretend or question you once without saying anything until once then they leave ya stranded in the middle of a cold ass field
You just described the vast majority of You Tube comments...
I'm glad Taft ended up where he really wanted to be. Peer pressure nearly killed the poor guy.
I agree. People took advantage of him. He was really warm hearted. 😭
he was dense
F him. He started the federal income tax
Taft was U.S. president between Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson so he's kind of been forgotten by history. He was also the only American president who became chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. President Taft's son Robert Taft also became a very tough U.S. Senator. I'm not quite sure but Robert Taft was U.S. Senate majority leader during the Harry Truman and Eisenhower administrations.
Taft was a rare gem of an American for his time. He is remembered by Filipinos of his time as the American who treated them as equals, at a time when American politics belittled them as less than Americans. While he didn't believe the Filipinos were ready for self-governance he greatly prepared the Islands towards that and became a great advocate in allowing Filipino farmers to own their own lands for agriculture. One of Metro Manila's busiest and well known avenues is named fondly after him.
Otis and Arthur McArthur are both d*ck unlike Taft.
This man could make a video about paint drying and I'd still watch in awe.......
It's the voice.
@@jasonparker4465 and the choice of words
I'm waiting for him do it, just so I can watch it
*Simon writes down idea for new channel*
😂🤣😂🤣
I love Taft. someone once said that "Taft was vital in the early 20th Century American Politics working for McKinley, his friendship with Roosevelt, Taking on Wilson, Issuing Justice under Harding and swearing in Coolidge and Hoover." How many men could be so close to six presidents."
a wonderful video, but you forgot that Taft's house was burgled by serial killer Carl Panzram, stealing his revolver and cash.
By the way still, looking forward to seeing the video on Andrew Johnson.
Panzram totally needs his own episode.
I just learnt that in 1957 Taft's son Robert A. Taft campaigned against Dwight D Eisenhower on the Democrat presidential candidate. The man has an input everywhere.
In 1905 Taft headed up a Diplomatic Delegation that toured the Far East. One of the members of the Delegation was Roosevelt's glamorous daughter Alice who was acting in the capacity of her father's goodwill Ambassador . She also kept the press contingent busy with her assortment of outrageous behavior including jumping into the ship's swimming pool wearing all her clothes, getting drunk on Japanese Sake and passing out on her bed, and smoking Opium with the Dowager Empress of China. These stunts were among the relatively tame ones, others would be unknown due to Taft censoring them
Goodwill and Alice Roosevelt !! Ha ha
Alice Roosevelt and Cixi got stoned together? 🤣
It would be fascinating to smoke opium with the dowager empress of China. It would be fascinating to know what they laughed about!
While I wasn’t familiar with the story about smoking opium, Alice Roosevelt Longworth’s reputation as a wild child is well-known. There's a famous quote from T. Roosevelt, when asked about his daughter's scandalous behavior: "I can do one of two things. I can be President of the United States, or I can control Alice Roosevelt. I cannot possibly do both."
@@maureenogorman8740 Yeah, it's hard to imagine a woman who supposedly had a pillow embroidered with the motto, "If you can't say anything nice, come sit by me," being chosen for a goodwill tour. 😆OTOH, she did act as Teddy's hostess at the White House (since he was a widower), so presumably she could "play nice" if the occasion called for it (and if she wanted to.)
I think it was more likely that Teddy thought he could control Taft, only to find that Taft had a mind of his own.
I mean everyone did up to that point abd even then he cave in to opposition
1:25 - Chapter 1 - The drive to succeed
5:30 - Chapter 2 - The greatest bromance
9:40 - Mid roll ads
11:05 - Chapter 3 - Old Bill & Bull Moose
15:10 - Chapter 4 - Bathtubs & betrayals
18:55 - Chapter 5 - Death of a friendship
22:00 - Chapter 6 - Mr chief justice returns to washington
Bum.
This was way more personally relatable a story than I was expecting...
Taft is such an underrated person.
Nellie Taft was an interesting person in her own right, She had a lot of the same instincts as Eleanor Roosevelt and Jackie Kennedy and was well on the way of being a great first lady at the time of her stroke, which was only a couple of months after she became First Lady. Nowadays she's mostly remembered for the planting of the cherry trees in Washington which was in 1912, so she must have recovered a lot.
There's no life worse than trying to live up to the expectations of others. Glad to hear he got to do what he really loved in life- even if some of those decisions were, in retrospect, suspect. Seems like a cool dude at the end.
I remember doing a report/ puppet recreation of Taft for my government class in HS back when. Our group got a C barely passing the class but my teacher gave me a B+ anyway for my semester. I guess Taft's goodwill affected my teacher a hundred years later. God bless him...
The bath tub thing might be a rumor (side note, according to the rumor, it happened twice), but what IS true is that he is the first president to ride in a car, securing funds from congress to remove the stables and build a garage in it's place. The running joke was that being forced to pull him around in a horse drawn carriage was cruelty to animals, LMAO! More importantly, he also built both the west wing AND the Oval office (insert fat joke here).
well it means that he cared about animals aswell, so thats a bright side about that.
Now, the question is how a man of his size was able to fit into those incredibly compact cars of the time.
@@nobleactual7693Bench seats! He took up the whole damn thing and I think they had to modify them slightly so he'd fit... Honestly, I'd be more concerned about how the suspension managed to hold up under his weight...
William Howard Taft maybe best remembered by getting stuck in a bathtub, but he was a successful President and an excellent Chief Justice, and is still the only person to hold the distinction of being both
Only former president to swear in a future president.
I think what I most remember him for (in history class at least) is Teddy Roosevelt going after him on the campaign trail saying that he was "too fat to be president"
It just goes to show little changes. Ignore the bigger picture of what the man does, make fun of his weight as your main argument against him.
First member of the Supreme Court to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
It was apocryphal, but like most myths, it got so popular that it was believed to be factual.
One interesting factoid that I wish was mentioned in this video; William Howard Taft was the man who opened the Gunnison River, one of the first rivers to bring water to the southwest. Every year in Montrose, Colorado, we celebrate his legacy! Without him, my family wouldn't have raised cattle/grow alfalfa!
I remember when I was in elementary school, one of my favorite books to read was “The President and Mom’s Apple Pie” which starred William Howard Taft going after the smell of the protagonist’s mother’s apple pie and eating it up with a smile on his face. Simon is right that Taft was an “overlooked” President squeezed between the more well-known presidencies of Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson.
Dude created flying after pie smell trope
When I was researching Taft for a high school project, one of the biographers I came across offered up that perhaps the bath tub rumor got started because Taft remodeled many of the White House bathrooms during his presidency, including installing at least one sizable soaking bath tub as the man did enjoy his baths as a means to relax and escape from the world and its no surprise given his anxiety. I find this very believable... that some random person saw the old tubs being removed and replaced with modern fittings including one made designed specifically for relaxation rather than simple bathing and jumped to some grotesque conclusions due to their fat bias.
I really do appreciate these videos on less-than-well-known presidents. It opens my eyes to people I'd only ever seen pictures of, but never heard much of the story of.
Love these president biographics. Looking forward to all of them.
Id love to see more videos of older supreme court justices. You hear about the other two branches of the government a lot but not much of older justices.
I'm a Filipino and I really admire William Howard Taft! He is perhaps the most pro-Filipino governor-general of the Philippines. To say the American imperialists really treated us badly is an understatement. A million Filipinos died during the Philippine-American War (1899-1902). But US President Taft is a shining light in the early years of the American occupation. An important hi-way in the metropolis is named in honor of Taft and his name remains until this day despite all American avenues renamed to local historical figures
Simon, you should do one on William McKinley, he made the United States into a superpower.
He was also the puppet of the robber barons, who funded his campaign.
@Gerald H Considering they are A third rate country today, he had A point. Also, you need to stop looking at the past with this modernist lens.
@Gerald H I know and I don't care. The Philippines is, was, and always will be A third rate power who should've been annexed a long time ago.
This would be an interesting episode. Yes McKinley did turn the US into a super power allowing us to compete with the great nations of Europe, but he had to conquer and even conduct a genocide of the Filipinos in order to do it. Plus, the US economy wasn't doing so well when he entered office, and us taking part in Imperialism helped to make it better again.
Teddy is One of My Favorites in History I Love that these Two MEN made Peace, that's a Friend.
He seems to have been a very genial person, he used to joke about his weight. One time on a streetcar, he joked, "I got up and I gave my seat to 3 ladies,"
However, with his reluctance and unhappiness in the White House left him becoming uncharacteristically grumpy and depressed, indirectly causing his weight, already higher than average, to balloon to ~330lbs.
It's true that he didn't care that in 1912 he lost reelection, receiving only 8 Electoral Votes, he looked visibly, genuinely relieved and happy to leave the awesome responsibility of the Presidency to his successor, Woodrow Wilson
:(
This entire series is awesome! So well-researched and I think can be enjoyed just as much as an audio-only (like when one is running or hiking), rather than just being useful as a video.
This script was fantastic. I learned a lot too.
Great story. What a nice guy. I'm happy that he finally got the position in life that he really wanted.
He had a judge's mindset, which is why he wanted to be a judge rather than a politician. Chief Justice was the *perfect* job for him.
Any time someone starts talking about third party candidates I'm like "do you want Woodrow Wilson? Because that's how you get Woodrow Wilson."
That's why you have _four_ parties, not three. 🤔
@@danielseelye6005 Realistically all you get there is a mainstream party and an alternative party on each side. It's better than three but the two party outcome is a natural one.
Canada has entered the conversation...
I didn't know Roosevelt and Taft managed to make up. I'm happy to hear it though.
Future Video suggestion -
Eamon DeValera (1882-1975) - prominent political leader in 20th century Ireland who, after the Irish war of independence from 1919 to 1921, was in the public eye for over forty years from 1922 until his death were he served as head of government (Taoiseach) and head of state (president). He was nearly executed in the Easter Rising in 1916 and was key in putting into place the new constitution on 1937. A very prominent figure in Irish history.
This writing and delivery is impeccable. That closing line crushed it
Are you going to do the rest of the presidents? I would appreciate it. Thank you Simon.
I now definitely have a soft spot for him too now! Thank you for covering his life and achievements, I’m glad I got to know about him! Never heard about that bathtub rumour, seems mean spirited to spread that, even if it had been true.
I remember doing some research on the Spanish American War which lead me to Taft. I was dumbfounded that this man who had been President and then Chief Justice wasn't more celebrated for those accomplishments. Even disagreeing with his politics, it's an amazing achievement.
Do Booker T. Washington next
Nice recommendation
He is considered the "Father of Black American Conservatism", which I learned from Allen Bernard West in his book "We Can Overcome: An American Black Conservative Manifesto" (2020). He also warned about Race Hustlers in the following quote:
"There is another class of coloured people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs, and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Having learned that they are able to make a living out of their troubles, they have grown into the settled habit of advertising their wrongs - partly because they want sympathy and partly because it pays. Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs." - Booker T. Washington (1856-1915)
I think that was the sweetest ending to a Simon video ever
Thank you for this video. Taft is truly underrated as a person
Simon: "Taft could be friends with even the most bitter enemies!"
Carl Panzram: "Care to correct yourself?"
I like to see a biographic about George Carlin.
All of his channels are great. thank you for making so many things so interesting!
Oh Simon, I swear you read my mind. I was just thinking about how all we ever seem to get on Taft is, 'He was fat' over and over again the other day and boom here's a vid on him!
I have to thank you for this fine biography. As a life long(informal) student of the the history of the United States I have long been aware of the major details of President Taft's life. You have pulled it all together. Great job. I wish I could better describe the service you have done. Often these days, history is layed out with some kind of agenda. I particularly like your objective evaluation of history.
Great episode!! I have to admit that I only knew a few things about Taft. Thank you!!
I love these videos because Simon and his writers do such a great job at showing all possible angles of the person life instead of just the popular stories
Great video! Taft's life makes for a great story of a young man plagued with anxieties who strives to be successful, but he learns a valuable lesson: remember to stay true to your dreams and don't live out the dreams of others, even if it's out of loyalty. We see him make mistakes along his journey (choosing to become president and even while in office,) but our story has a happy ending. He gets his dream job, makes rightful court decisions, starts the Supreme Court, and eventually leaves a major impact on American politics. All's well that ends well.
This is a really interesting story and I'm so glad learned about him here! Thanks!
He looked so much happier as Chief Justice:)
Thank you. Taft has been on my mind for the past week
wow some heavy thoughts
@@jedigamerandreviewer3472 I’ve always held him in high regard. Particularly as Chief Justice. I’m just almost ignorant on his time as president besides his shift to conservatism. So yeah.. heavy thoughts.
@@jedigamerandreviewer3472 oh god I just got it 🫠
Taft had for several years a rented Summer home near here on Boston's "North Shore" in Bevely, MASS.. Back then the North Shore was also Home to the Summer Embassies totaling around 16 of them.. Washington before Air Conditioning was an unbearable swamp , so many in DC moved here for to escape.
Fun fact: He was partitioned to be the referee for the Jack Johnson-Jim Jefferies fight.
I don't know what you're talking about, but now I have to find out.
Fake news.
@@michaelpipkin9942 I learned about it in A boxing documentary by the name of legendary champions from 1882-1929.
@@savagedarksider5934 I thought you were talking about the comedian
What a great story. Thank you.
So glad they became friends again.
William Taft probably one of the most underrated presidents we have
I love the presidents series! Could you do grover clevland next?
25:20 This is why he is in my list of best presidents with a heart.
Hey Simon, when are you going to do a Biographics video on Abraham Lincon?
There's one he did a year ago on his Today I Found Out channel called The Wrasslin President
Whenever I think about this man, I can't help but think about his jealousy of Teddy Roosevelt which started the Teddy Bear vs. Billy Opossum feud (born from Taft's love for eating opossum 🤢 )
It’s not that weird. The only reason people think eating Opossum is disgusting is because it’s often seen as poor people food. That’s it. Yeah. It’s a classist thing. Always has been.
@@cratorcic9362 I eat plenty of unpopular foods: liver, chicken gizzard, horse. I draw the line at roadkill like things: no possum, no deer, no raccoon.
Calling it classiest doesn't make sense.
@@cratorcic9362 I come from a country where eating a rodent is unheard of and rather disgusting so yes, for me, it's bloody weird.
@@areiaaphrodite Not a rodent. At all. Even remotely. And, again, not always roadkill, as both are things that Native Americans traditionally hunted. Later, African Americans and poor whites in the South adopted the practice.
So, of course, as per usual, rich white dudes decided it was disgusting because “poor people food”
I am describing here the origins of the stigma in the USA specifically. That’s it.
This actually ties into why Taft ate them, as a form of solidarity with both Black and poor white Southerners.
Although Taft was only in the Philippines for four years, the Taft Era in the Philippines is 12 years long. As he was Secretary of War in 1904, he was his successor's immediate superior. The Secretary of War, in turn, was directly under the President. Thus, he continued to shape the Philippines even after leaving it to go back to the US.
Excellent and Enjoyable! Thank you
In awe at the size of this lad, absolute unit
Thank you for adding to my memory banks. Knew a number of the details but you rounded out the person. Your presentation, as always, is comfortably fast paced, witty and tersely informative.
I surprisingly relate to Taft when it came to upbringing except of course not becoming chubby
Good video 👍
...love the narration...the back ground music....
this guy probably influenced my antecedents...
...seventh inning stretch!
Love the videos about presidents!
Thanks
I’d love to see a presidential video on Chester Arthur, why? That stache, but seriously he seems really overlooked and forgotten but people who knew him at the time seemed to like him and support him
Honestly Simon and all his channels should consider being on Nebula.
"Taft was more than just a waistline" conjures up mental images of the President of the USA as a hula hoop!! I knew nothing of Taft, apart from the name, so many thanks for this enlightening mini biography.
Talk about a really good presidential election ballot! William Taft, Teddy Roosevelt, and Woodrow Wilson. 3 great men and 3 great presidents all on the same ballot! Too bad we can't have a ballot like that ever again. 😥
Two. Not three. Scratch Woody Willy from that list and we'll be gold.
Not Wilson. Please read a little about him before calling him a good president.
In 1906 a relative of mine named John Bones started a post office on the Oregon Coast and named the town Taft after president Taft, whom hadn't been president yet for two more years. The town in the 60s blended together with 4 other towns making it one city called Lincoln City. The south end though its still called Taft.
Very Interesting!
It's really nice to get a little history with all the commercials and paid promotions
Never really thought about it much but sounds like a guy I could have a chat with
Humbly requesting George Carlin. A comedian and satirist who oftentimes hit the nail more than just on the head; and whose bits were infinitely more than just satire. The guy was a comedian, satirist, begrudged philosopher, and even the voice of Thomas the Train.
Ever closer to our goal....
And was involved in a Supreme Court Case, *Pacifica v. Fed. Communications Comission (FCC)*
I'm having Deja Vu.
@@Snowboi1963 big case, which he lost, and unfortunately gave the FCC some viagra for its censorship hard on.
@@jasonburge don’t feel bad.
enjoy your work. The obvious time you put in research, scripting, and editing are inspiring. Also, your voice is the perfect overtone to the work so my many thanks. No Obama, Carter, or Clinton though? Are you avoiding them due to backlash, or some form of bias protection? I hope to see your take on them. Again my thanks sir.
9:34 Not McKinsey, but McKinley.
Hey, that was pretty good, thanks!
you should cover Justinian if you haven't already. He's such a fascinating historical figure who diffidently earned the term of the Last Roman Emperor
🎶And President Taft, he got the bill…🎶
I love your jacket, Simon.
That joke is hilarious 😂
The journey to perfectionism recovery can be quite arduous; knowing the excruciating truth that recovery won’t ever be perfect. 😑
Lurch & Uncle Fester's secret love child... I almost fell out of my 🛌 laughing... I'm WEAK!!!!
He wasn't over looked, he had such a large presence it'd be hard not to notice him even if you weren't looking..
following my family tree back im some how related to him. my grandfather had a family tree book he explained to me when I was about 12 back in the early 90's. don't remember how but do remember doing a history report on him in middle school
The Little Feat song, 'Fat Man in a Bathtub' was written about Taft.
1:25 Family & early life
5:26 First ever Civilian Governor of Philippines (Under President William McKinley)
11:00 Under Teddy Roosevelt's administration
15:07 Presidency
18:52 Taft vs Roosevelt & Woodrow Wilson's victory
21:59 Chief Justice
Love the shoutout for HDT
Go Rhinos!
“President Mckinzey” I giggled
Taft also had a thing with burns mom. Dont forget
Taft you devil.
William Howard Taft is the first American Civil Governor of the Philippines and did so much for our country.
From Philippine Civil Governor General to US President real quick!!! 😮
I like the way Simon says dank memes.
If there are a few presidents who are criminally overlooked, that honor goes to Adams, Quincy Adams, Polk, and Taft.
Imagine being named Arthur MacArthur. I'd say it sounds silly but tbh it sounds pretty good.
"Hey, Taft. Talk to me, boy. I know you're there. I can hear you breathing."
Never can get over how my state, Ohio was at its zenith after the Civil War. Things have not been so great since then for Ohio.
according to my friends from Ohio, its at least better than the state up on its north side.
If it's any consolation it could be worse, could live in west Virginia