William Taft

William Taft (1857-1930) was the 27th President of the United States, serving from 1909 to 1913.

Taft was a Republican. He is the only person to have been both President and Chief Justice (the most senior judge ) of the United States. He tried to improve the transport and postal systems and adopted what was called 'Dollar Diplomacy' - using government money to gain influence and protect American interests abroad. Taft was the heaviest President (weighing about 340 pounds) and a story is told that he once got stuck in a bath in the White House.