Out of the Tub
President and Chief Justice William Howard Taft
Swift and concise, the biography Out of the Tub reintroduces William Howard Taft as a president worth celebrating.
Carol A. Josel’s Out of the Tub is a compact yet revelatory biography of William Howard Taft, the only president of the United States to also serve as the Supreme Court’s chief justice.
Taft, whose weight exceeded three hundred pounds during his 1909–1913 term, is remembered more for corpulence than his considerable achievements, the book notes. He had an oversized tub installed in the White House, but the rumor that he became wedged in the tub following a bath is declared false. Often disrespected by the press, Taft further endured weight-related jeers from spectators at political rallies. Here, though, Republican Taft is reintroduced as a hardworking, adaptable, and genial man who extolled the rule of law and strove to serve his country to the best of his abilities.
Within a swift flow of concise chapters, the book details Taft’s Cincinnati childhood and education at Yale University. Though he began his career in the Ohio courts, he was later appointed as the first civilian governor of the Philippines. He also forged a pivotal friendship with Theodore Roosevelt, who upon becoming president made Taft his secretary of war. After a period of harsh estrangement, Taft and Roosevelt’s gradual reconciliation before Roosevelt’s death is described with poignant reflection. Elsewhere, Taft’s independent-minded wife, Nellie, is given credit for her influence, with notes that her desire to be first lady conflicted with her husband’s Supreme Court aspirations.
Taft’s compromising nature, which guided him through diplomatic matters, is said to have undermined his self-determination, as he preferred the more reserved power of the law to the bullying nature of politics, yet was still persuaded to run for the presidency. Taft’s post–White House relief is conveyed with coverage of his teaching years at Yale Law School and receipt of the coveted seat on the Supreme Court, where he streamlined the overburdened legal system and established the federal judiciary.
With the same informative brevity as the text, supplemental lists outline Taft’s most significant achievements, quotes, and “firsts” (such as being the first president to occupy the Oval Office, built in 1909). The book’s straightforward, accessible tone encapsulates the political and social background of the times; within a short number of pages, a vast sweep of American history and progress is condensed with clarity. And despite a typographical error placing Woodrow Wilson’s presidential election in 2012 rather than a century earlier, an impressive curation of references and photographs grounds the content.
Laudatory yet objective, Out of the Tub is a brief and engrossing historical biography that humanizes William H. Taft and his often-overlooked legacy.
Reviewed by
Meg Nola
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
