PRESIDENT WILLIAM H. TAFT - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 05/29/1914 - HFSID 30824

WILLIAM H. TAFT
William H. Taft signs a typed letter saying that he will not write a letter of introduction since the magazine has not looked favorably on him or his friends.
Typed Letter signed: "Wm H Taft", 1p, 7x9. New Haven, Connecticut, 1914 May 29. On personal letterhead to Mr. S. S. McClure ("Sir"), New York, New York. In full: "It seems to me that your request for a letter of introduction from me is one that is hardly consistent with the course of your magazine in its treatment of me and my friends, and considering the view you have held of me in the community at large, I can hardly suppose that you would attach much value to such a letter. Sincerely yours" William Howard Taft (1857-1930) was Governor of the Philippines (1901-1904), Secretary of War (1904-1909), 27th of the United States (1909-1913) and Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court (1921-1930). His bruising convention battle with former ally and patron Theodore Roosevelt in 1912 split the Republican Party, allowing the election of Democrat Woodrow Wilson. Taft as President was caught in the middle between progressives and conservatives and constrained by a more limited view of Presidential powers than TR had possessed, but historians tend to view his term of office more positively than did most of his contemporaries. His skills as Chief Justice are widely recognized. In the years between his Presidency and his appointment as chief justice, Taft taught at Yale Law School. Lightly folded at lower left margin. Fold creases not at signature. Otherwise, fine condition.