- Née:
- Helen Herron
- Byname:
- Nellie
- Born:
- June 2, 1861, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
- Died:
- May 22, 1943, Washington, D.C. (aged 81)
- Title / Office:
- first lady (1909-1913)
- Notable Family Members:
- spouse William Howard Taft
Helen Taft
-
Who was Helen Taft?
Helen Taft (1861–1943) was the wife of William Howard Taft, the 27th U.S. president, and served as the American first lady from 1909 to 1913. She was instrumental in encouraging her husband to pursue his political ambitions, which ultimately led to his presidency. Helen's interest in politics stemmed from her upbringing; her father, John Herron, was a lawyer and Republican activist.
As first lady, Helen broke tradition by riding alongside her husband after his inauguration. However, her term was soon impacted by a stroke in May 1909, which affected her speech and limited her public appearances. Despite her health challenges, she arranged for the planting of cherry trees in Washington, D.C. After her time in the White House, she became the first first lady to publish her memoirs during her lifetime with Recollections of Full Years (1914).
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When did Helen Taft serve as First Lady of the United States?
Helen Taft served as the First Lady of the United States from 1909 to 1913 during the presidency of her husband, William Howard Taft. Despite suffering a stroke early in her tenure that impaired her ability to speak, she made a significant contribution to Washington D.C. by arranging the planting of ornamental cherry trees throughout the city. In 1914, after her time as first lady, Helen Taft wrote Recollections of Full Years, which made her the first president’s wife to publish her memoirs during her lifetime.
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Who was Helen Taft married to?
Helen Taft was married to William Howard Taft, the 27th President of the United States and 10th Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. They married on June 19, 1886. Helen's ambition was tied to William's career, and she encouraged him to accept positions that would aid him in becoming president. As first lady, she was a key political advisor to her husband.
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What important changes did Helen Taft make at the White House?
Helen Taft, wife of President William Howard Taft, served as the American first lady from 1909 to 1913. Despite suffering a stroke early in her tenure that impaired her speech and limited her public duties, Taft made some important changes during her time in the White House.
Breaking with tradition, she was the first president's wife to ride beside him from the inaugural site. She arranged for the planting of ornamental cherry trees throughout the capital, a cosmetic contribution that Washington D.C. still enjoys. In 1914, after her husband's term, she published her autobiography, Recollections of Full Years, becoming the first president's wife to publish her memoirs during her lifetime.
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What is Helen Taft known for regarding Washington, D.C.’s cherry blossom trees?
Helen Taft, as First Lady, is known for her role in arranging the planting of cherry trees throughout Washington, D.C.. Admiring them from her travels in Japan, she cooperated in 1910 to bring the trees to Washington, D.C., as a symbol of national friendship with Japan.
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How did Helen Taft influence the role of First Lady in the United States?
Helen Taft, as First Lady from 1909 to 1913, influenced the role through her political ambition and visibility. On Inauguration Day, she broke tradition by riding alongside her husband from the inaugural site.
A stroke in May 1909 initially curtailed her activities, but she later resumed some official duties. Taft's major contribution was cosmetic, arranging the planting of ornamental cherry trees in Washington, D.C.. In 1914, she published her autobiography, Recollections of Full Years, the first memoir by a president’s wife during her lifetime.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Helen Taft (born June 2, 1861, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.—died May 22, 1943, Washington, D.C.) was an American first lady (1909–13), the wife of William Howard Taft, 27th U.S. president and 10th chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
The fourth of 11 children, Helen Taft came by her interest in politics through her parents, John Herron, a prominent lawyer and Republican Party activist, and Harriet Collins Herron. Educated in private schools in Cincinnati, young Helen showed an ambition to make her mark beyond southern Ohio; in the late 1870s, soon after meeting William Howard Taft, a law student at the University of Cincinnati, she tied that ambition to his career. Historians have concluded that without her determined efforts he would never have become president.
Following their marriage on June 19, 1886, William accepted several appointments, including those of judge of the Ohio Superior Court, U.S. solicitor general, and judge of the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court. In 1900 President William McKinley appointed him president of the United States Commission to the Philippines. Although he showed some reluctance to move halfway around the world, Helen, believing it would aid him in becoming president, encouraged him to accept the job, and they moved, with their three young children, to the Philippines, where he became governor-general in 1901.
William’s appointment as secretary of war in 1904 brought the Tafts back to Washington, D.C., where Helen continued her effort to make her husband president. Although he would have preferred a judicial appointment, she liked the idea of living in the White House and often said that a visit there during the administration of Rutherford B. Hayes had fueled her ambition. In 1906, when President Theodore Roosevelt appeared ready to offer her husband an appointment to the Supreme Court, she scheduled an appointment with the president to thwart the nomination.
Roosevelt declined to run for reelection in 1908 and threw his support to Taft, who won the Republican nomination for president. Throughout the campaign Helen was recognized as one of her husband’s most astute and trusted advisers, and with her husband’s victory she became first lady amid predictions that she would be influential in presidential decisions. On inauguration day she broke an old tradition and became the first president’s wife to ride beside him as he left the inaugural site at the United States Capitol.
Just weeks later, Helen’s hard work was undermined by a health crisis. In May 1909 she suffered a paralyzing stroke that impaired her ability to speak. After more than a year of therapy, she resumed making some official appearances but never regained her former vigour. Her major contribution to Washington was cosmetic: because she admired cherry trees, which she saw in her travels in Japan, she arranged for them to be planted throughout the city.
After her husband’s single term was completed in 1913, Helen wrote her autobiography, Recollections of Full Years (1914), becoming the first president’s wife to see her memoirs published in her lifetime. The Tafts moved from Washington to New Haven, Connecticut, where William taught at Yale Law School until his appointment in 1921 as chief justice of the United States. Helen died in 1943 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery beside her husband, who had died in 1930. The Tafts were the first presidential couple to be interred there.
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