PRESIDENT WILLIAM H. TAFT - CIVIL APPOINTMENT SIGNED 01/11/1912 CO-SIGNED BY: FRANK H. HITCHCOCK - HFSID 35824

WILLIAM H. TAFT
President Taft appoints Charles A. Gregory to be postmaster for four years at Lovington in the County of Moultrie in the state of Illinois.
Partly Printed DS: "Wm H. Taft" as President and "Frank H Hitchcock" as Postmaster General, 1p, 21x16. Washington, 1912 February 12. Appointment of Charles A. Gregory as Postmaster at Lovington, in the County of Moultrie State of Illinois for a total of four years. WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT (1857-1930), the only man to serve as both U.S. President (1909-1913) and Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1921-1930), was handpicked by Theodore Roosevelt to be his successor. Unhappy in the White House, Roosevelt's former Secretary of War nevertheless proved to be a better "trust buster" than his mentor. Taft attempted to reduce Republican-supported tariffs and empowered the Interstate Commerce Commission to end railroad abuses. He started the process leading to a federal budget, sponsored a bill requiring candidates to reveal campaign expenses and initiated the postal savings system. Taft's decisions, reflecting the conservative rather than progressive Republican platform, led to a parting with Roosevelt, and Taft lost his bid for a second term, finishing third behind Democratic candidate Woodrow Wilson and Roosevelt. Reaching the pinnacle of his career as Chief Justice, Taft supported the Judiciary Act of 1925, which gave the overburdened Court greater ability to determine the number and type of cases it would hear. He was also instrumental in obtaining congressional funds for a new Supreme Court building. FRANK HARRIS HITCHCOCK (1867-1935) headed the Republican National Committee before becoming President Taft's Postmaster General (1909-1913). As US Postmaster he introduced parcel post to compete with private express companies, established the first air mail service, and cracked down on mail fraud. 2¼-inch foil seal at lower left margin. Lightly creased and soiled. Otherwise, fine condition.