80-741: The Coastal Classic is a passenger and semi-luxury train operated by the Alaska Railroad between the cities of Anchorage and Seward , Alaska. It is a seasonal train, only operating between the months of May and September. Despite its seasonality, the Coastal Classic was the Alaska Railroad's most popular route in 2019. In 2020, summer services began in July in response to the COVID-19 pandemic . The Coastal Classic makes
160-458: A Bachelor of Laws in 1880. While in law school, he worked on The Cincinnati Commercial newspaper, edited by Murat Halstead . Taft was assigned to cover the local courts, and also spent time reading law in his father's office; both activities gave him practical knowledge of the law that was not taught in class. Shortly before graduating from law school, Taft went to Columbus to take the bar examination and easily passed. After admission to
240-596: A 1982 embargo of the entire line. Following the demise of the ill-fated Keystone XL Pipeline project, the Alaska Canada Rail Link (ACRL) was rekindled as an alternative. In November 2015, the National Post reported that a link between the southern provinces and the Alaska Railroad was again being considered by the Canadian federal government, this time routing to Alberta . In this scenario,
320-476: A Bryan victory, but he could do nothing but worry. McKinley was elected ; when a place on the Supreme Court opened in 1898, the only one under McKinley, the president named Joseph McKenna . From the 1890s until his death, Taft played a major role in the international legal community. He was active in many organizations, was a leader in the worldwide arbitration movement , and taught international law at
400-644: A bilateral commission to study feasibility of building a rail link between Canada and Alaska; Canada was asked to be part of the commission, but the Canadian federal government did not choose to join the commission or commit funds for the study. However, the Yukon territorial government did show some interest. A June 2006 report by the commission recommended Carmacks, Yukon , as a hub, with three possibilities: A line could go northward to Delta Junction, Alaska (Alaska Railroad's northern end-of-track). Another line could go from Carmacks to Hazelton, British Columbia (which
480-635: A chief engineer, and when in February 1907 John F. Stevens submitted his resignation, Taft recommended an army engineer, George W. Goethals . Under Goethals, the project moved ahead smoothly. Another colony lost by Spain in 1898 was Cuba, but as freedom for Cuba had been a major purpose of the war, it was not annexed by the U.S., but was, after a period of occupation, given independence in 1902. Election fraud and corruption followed, as did factional conflict. In September 1906, President Tomás Estrada Palma asked for U.S. intervention. Taft traveled to Cuba with
560-706: A month before the Portsmouth Peace Conference , which would end the Russo-Japanese War with the Treaty of Portsmouth . Taft met with Japanese Prime Minister Katsura Tarō . After that meeting, the two signed a memorandum . It contained nothing new but instead reaffirmed official positions: Japan had no intention to invade the Philippines, and the U.S. that it did not object to Japanese control of Korea . There were U.S. concerns about
640-740: A new judgeship for each of the United States Courts of Appeal and Harrison appointed him to the Sixth Circuit , based in Cincinnati. In March 1892, Taft resigned as Solicitor General to resume his judicial career. Taft's federal judgeship was a lifetime appointment, and one from which promotion to the Supreme Court might come. Taft's older half-brother Charles , successful in business, supplemented Taft's government salary, allowing William and Nellie Taft and their family to live in comfort. Taft's duties involved hearing trials in
720-516: A pledge he quickly regretted. But he felt bound by his word. Roosevelt believed Taft was his logical successor, although the War Secretary had initially been reluctant to run. Roosevelt used his control of the party machinery to aid his heir apparent. On pain of the loss of their jobs, political appointees were required to support Taft or remain silent. A number of Republican politicians, such as Treasury Secretary George Cortelyou , tested
800-559: A presidential permit to the Alaska-Alberta Railway Development Corporation (A2A Railway), which had an agreement with Alaska Railway to develop a joint operating plan for the rail connection to Canada. The proposed A2A Railway would have connected to the Alaska Railroad at North Pole, Alaska , and run through Yukon Territory to Fort Nelson, and from there to a terminus at Fort McMurray, Alberta. (The A2A Railway had also been negotiating with
880-678: A small American force, and on September 29, 1906, under the terms of the Cuban–American Treaty of Relations of 1903 , declared himself Provisional Governor of Cuba, a post he held for two weeks before being succeeded by Charles Edward Magoon . In his time in Cuba, Taft worked to persuade Cubans that the U.S. intended stability, not occupation. Taft remained involved in Philippine affairs. During Roosevelt's election campaign in 1904, he urged that Philippine agricultural products be admitted to
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#1732790771378960-647: A spur was constructed to deliver coal to its power station. The railroad was greatly affected by the Good Friday earthquake , which struck southern Alaska in 1964. The yard and trackage around Seward buckled and the trackage along Turnagain Arm was damaged by floodwaters and landslides. It took several months to restore full service along the line. In 1967, the railroad was transferred to the Federal Railroad Administration, an agency within
1040-516: Is served by the CN ), passing through Watson Lake, Yukon , and Dease Lake, British Columbia . The third line could go from Carmacks to either Haines or Skagway, Alaska . The latter path by way of Whitehorse, Yukon , the northern terminus of the 3 ft ( 914 mm ) ( narrow-gauge ) White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad). However, currently the latter's trains only reach Carcross, Yukon , because service has not been completely restored following
1120-656: The Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty , the United States had secured rights to build a canal in the Isthmus of Panama . Legislation authorizing construction did not specify which government department would be responsible, and Roosevelt designated the Department of War. Taft journeyed to Panama in 1904, viewing the canal site and meeting with Panamanian officials. The Isthmian Canal Commission had trouble keeping
1200-1024: The Ohio bar , Taft devoted himself to his job at the Commercial full-time. Halstead was willing to take him on permanently at an increased salary if he would give up the law, but Taft declined. In October 1880, Taft was appointed assistant prosecutor for Hamilton County, Ohio , where Cincinnati is. He took office in January 1881. Taft served for a year as assistant prosecutor, trying his share of routine cases. He resigned in January 1882 after President Chester A. Arthur appointed him Collector of Internal Revenue for Ohio's First District, an area centered on Cincinnati. Taft refused to dismiss competent employees who were politically out of favor, and resigned effective in March 1883, writing to Arthur that he wished to begin private practice in Cincinnati. In 1884, Taft campaigned for
1280-553: The Surface Transportation Board approved the construction of a new 25-mile (40 km) line between Port MacKenzie and the existing main line at Houston, Alaska . As of May 2023 this spur line had not been completed. A spur line was built to Ted Stevens International Airport in 2003, along with a depot, officially named after Bill Sheffield . The line never received scheduled service but cruise lines charter trains to convey passengers between ships and
1360-416: The 1907 Tillman Act , and Bryan proposed that contributions by officers and directors of corporations be similarly banned, or at least disclosed when made. Taft was only willing to see the contributions disclosed after the election, and tried to ensure that officers and directors of corporations litigating with the government were not among his contributors. Taft began the campaign on the wrong foot, fueling
1440-797: The Alaska Railroad from paying dividends or otherwise returning capital to the state of Alaska, unlike the state's other quasi-corporations: the Alaska Permanent Fund , the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, and the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority. An extension of the railroad from Fairbanks to Delta Junction over a bridge spanning the Tanana River was envisioned as early as 2009. The 2011 Alaska state budget would provide $ 40 million in funding for
1520-741: The Cincinnati Law School, a post that required him to prepare and give two hour-long lectures each week. He was devoted to his law school, and was deeply committed to legal education, introducing the case method to the curriculum. As a federal judge, Taft could not involve himself with politics, but followed it closely, remaining a Republican supporter. He watched with some disbelief as the campaign of Ohio Governor William McKinley developed in 1894 and 1895, writing "I cannot find anybody in Washington who wants him". By March 1896, Taft realized that McKinley would likely be nominated, and
1600-562: The Filipinos partners in a venture that would lead to their self-government; he saw independence as something decades off. Many Americans in the Philippines viewed the locals as racial inferiors, but Taft wrote soon before his arrival, "we propose to banish this idea from their minds". Taft did not impose racial segregation at official events, and treated the Filipinos as social equals. Nellie Taft recalled that "neither politics nor race should influence our hospitality in any way". McKinley
1680-497: The Filipinos. Roosevelt had Taft go to Rome to negotiate with Pope Leo XIII , to purchase the lands and to arrange the withdrawal of the Spanish priests, with Americans replacing them and training locals as clergy. Taft did not succeed in resolving these issues on his visit to Rome, but an agreement on both points was made in 1903. In late 1902, Taft had heard from Roosevelt that a seat on the Supreme Court would soon fall vacant on
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#17327907713781760-563: The Mat-Su Borough on an agreement to complete the Port Mackenzie Railway Extension.) The Alaska Railroad Corporation has its own police force The railroad is a major tourist attraction in the summer. Coach cars feature wide windows and domes. Private cars owned by the major cruise companies are towed behind the Alaska Railroad's own cars, and trips are included with various cruise packages. By 1936,
1840-603: The Philippines . In 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt made him Secretary of War, and he became Roosevelt's hand-picked successor. Despite his personal ambition to become chief justice, Taft declined repeated offers of appointment to the Supreme Court of the United States , believing his political work to be more important. With Roosevelt's help, Taft had little opposition for the Republican nomination for president in 1908 and easily defeated William Jennings Bryan for
1920-728: The Port of Whittier and Harbor Island in Seattle . Construction of the railroad started in 1903 when the Alaska Central Railroad built a line starting in Seward and extending 50 miles (80 km) north. The Alaska Central went bankrupt in 1907 and was reorganized as the Alaska Northern Railroad Company in 1911, which extended the line another 21 miles (34 km) northward. On March 12, 1914,
2000-548: The Republican Party's conservative wing, with which Taft often sympathized, and its progressive wing, toward which Roosevelt moved more and more. Controversies over conservation and antitrust cases filed by the Taft administration served to further separate the two men. Roosevelt challenged Taft for renomination in 1912. Taft used his control of the party machinery to gain a bare majority of delegates and Roosevelt bolted
2080-543: The Republican candidate for president, Maine Senator James G. Blaine , who lost to New York Governor Grover Cleveland . In 1887, Taft, then aged 29, was appointed to a vacancy on the Superior Court of Cincinnati by Governor Joseph B. Foraker . The appointment was good for just over a year, after which he would have to face the voters, and in April 1888, he sought election for the first of three times in his lifetime,
2160-605: The Taft effort. In April, Taft made a speaking tour, traveling as far west as Omaha before being recalled to straighten out a contested election in Panama . He had no serious opposition at the 1908 Republican National Convention in Chicago in June, and gained a first-ballot victory. Yet Taft did not have things his own way: he had hoped his running mate would be a midwestern progressive like Iowa Senator Jonathan Dolliver , but instead
2240-413: The U.S. Congress agreed to fund construction and operation of an all-weather railroad from Seward to Fairbanks and purchased the rail line from the financially struggling Alaska Northern. As the government started building the estimated $ 35 million railroad, it opened a construction town along Ship Creek , eventually giving rise to Anchorage, now the state's largest city. In 1917, the government purchased
2320-531: The U.S. without duty. This caused growers of U.S. sugar and tobacco to complain to Roosevelt, who remonstrated with his Secretary of War. Taft expressed unwillingness to change his position, and threatened to resign; Roosevelt hastily dropped the matter. Taft returned to the islands in 1905, leading a delegation of congressmen, and again in 1907, to open the first Philippine Assembly . On both of his Philippine trips as Secretary of War , Taft went to Japan, and met with officials there. The meeting in July 1905 came
2400-494: The United States . They met again when Taft went to Washington in January 1902 to recuperate after two operations caused by an infection. There, Taft testified before the Senate Committee on the Philippines . Taft wanted Filipino farmers to have a stake in the new government through land ownership, but much of the arable land was held by Catholic religious orders of mostly Spanish priests, which were often resented by
2480-547: The United States . When Taft arrived in Washington in February 1890, the office had been vacant for two months, with the work piling up. He worked to eliminate the backlog, while simultaneously educating himself on federal law and procedure he had not needed as an Ohio state judge. New York Senator William M. Evarts , a former Secretary of State, had been a classmate of Alphonso Taft at Yale. Evarts called to see his friend's son as soon as Taft took office, and William and Nellie Taft were launched into Washington society. Nellie Taft
Coastal Classic - Misplaced Pages Continue
2560-542: The United States government was planning a railroad route from Seward to the interior town of Fairbanks. President William Howard Taft authorized a commission to survey a route in 1912. The line would be 656 miles (1,056 km) long and provide an all-weather route to the interior. In 1914, the government bought the Alaska Northern Railroad and moved its headquarters to Ship Creek , in what would later become Anchorage . The government began to extend
2640-509: The United States in December 1903. When Taft took office as Secretary of War in January 1904, he was not called upon to spend much time administering the army, which the president was content to do himself—Roosevelt wanted Taft as a troubleshooter in difficult situations, as a legal adviser, and to be able to give campaign speeches as he sought election in his own right. Taft strongly defended Roosevelt's record in his addresses, and wrote of
2720-477: The Yale Law School. Taft advocated the establishment of a world court of arbitration supported by an international police force and is considered a major proponent of "world peace through law" movement. One of the reasons for his bitter break with Roosevelt in 1910–12 was Roosevelt's insistence that arbitration was naïve and that only war could decide major international disputes. In January 1900, Taft
2800-436: The aging incumbent, Melville Fuller , who turned 75 in 1908. Taft believed Fuller likely to live many years. Roosevelt had indicated he was likely to appoint Taft if the opportunity came to fill the court's center seat, but some considered Attorney General Philander Knox a better candidate. In any event, Fuller remained chief justice throughout Roosevelt's presidency. Through the 1903 separation of Panama from Colombia and
2880-579: The airport. The railroad currently leases the depot to citizens for private events such as conferences, seminars, and corporate functions. There are plans to provide commuter rail service within the Anchorage metropolitan area ( Anchorage to Mat-Su Valley via Eagle River , north Anchorage to south Anchorage); additional tracks would be necessary to accommodate the heavy freight traffic. In 2001 federal legislation, sponsored by Republican U.S. senator (and later Alaska governor) Frank Murkowski , formed
2960-477: The arguments of those who said he was not his own man by traveling to Roosevelt's home at Sagamore Hill for advice on his acceptance speech, saying that he needed "the President's judgment and criticism". Taft supported most of Roosevelt's policies. He argued that labor had a right to organize, but not boycott, and that corporations and the wealthy must also obey the law. Bryan wanted the railroads to be owned by
3040-613: The bridge, which initially be only for vehicular use. The United States Department of Defense would provide another $ 100 million in funds, as the bridge and a subsequent rail line would provide year-round access to Fort Greely and the Joint Tanana Training Complex. Groundbreaking ceremony for the Tanana River Bridge took place on September 28, 2011, and the new bridge was opened (for military road traffic only) in 2014. On 21 November 2011,
3120-466: The circuit, which included Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, and Tennessee, and participating with Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan , the circuit justice , and judges of the Sixth Circuit in hearing appeals. Taft spent these years, from 1892 to 1900, in personal and professional contentment. According to historian Louis L. Gould, "while Taft shared the fears about social unrest that dominated
3200-399: The commission was a nuisance, and their mission a quixotic attempt to impose self-government on a people unready for it. The general was forced to co-operate with Taft, as McKinley had given the commission control over the islands' military budget. The commission took executive power in the Philippines on September 1, 1900; on July 4, 1901, Taft became civilian governor . MacArthur, until then
3280-651: The company had rostered 27 steam locomotives, 16 railcars, 40 passenger cars and 858 freight cars. As of 2022 , Alaska Railroad rosters a total of 51 locomotives, two control cab units , and one DMU (self-propelled railcar): In 2011 the Alaska Railroad reacquired ARR 557, the last steam locomotive bought new by the railroad and the last steam locomotive used by the railroad, with the intent to refurbish and operate it in special excursions between Anchorage and Portage. A USATC S160 " 2-8-0 Consolidation" engine built in 1944 by Baldwin Locomotive Works , 557
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3360-623: The convention named Congressman James S. Sherman of New York, a conservative. Taft resigned as Secretary of War on June 30 to devote himself full-time to the campaign. Taft's opponent in the general election was Bryan, the Democratic nominee for the third time in four presidential elections. As many of Roosevelt's reforms stemmed from proposals by Bryan, the Democrat argued that he was the true heir to Roosevelt's mantle. Corporate contributions to federal political campaigns had been outlawed by
3440-492: The court below but that the solicitor general thought it should have lost. At Taft's request, the Supreme Court reversed a murder conviction that Taft said had been based on inadmissible evidence. The policy continues to this day. Although Taft was successful as Solicitor General, winning 15 of the 18 cases he argued before the Supreme Court, he was glad when in March 1891, the United States Congress created
3520-476: The eldest, Robert , became a U.S. senator. There was a seat vacant on the U.S. Supreme Court in 1889, and Governor Foraker suggested President Harrison appoint Taft to fill it. Taft was 32 and his professional goal was always a seat on the Supreme Court. He actively sought the appointment, writing to Foraker to urge the governor to press his case, while stating to others it was unlikely he would get it. Instead, in 1890, Harrison appointed him Solicitor General of
3600-464: The following month. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery , the first president and first Supreme Court justice to be interred there. Taft is generally listed near the middle in historians' rankings of U.S. presidents . William Howard Taft was born September 15, 1857, in Cincinnati, Ohio , to Alphonso Taft and Louise Torrey . The Taft family was not wealthy, living in a modest home in
3680-406: The following station stops: This United States rail–related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Alaska Railroad The Alaska Railroad ( reporting mark ARR ) is a Class II railroad that operates freight and passenger trains in the state of Alaska . The railroad's mainline runs between Seward on the southern coast and Fairbanks , near the center of
3760-614: The government, but Taft preferred that they remain in the private sector, with their maximum rates set by the Interstate Commerce Commission , subject to judicial review . Taft attributed blame for the recent recession, the Panic of 1907 , to stock speculation and other abuses, and felt some reform of the currency (the U.S. was on the gold standard ) was needed to allow flexibility in the government's response to poor economic times, that specific legislation on trusts
3840-546: The heavyset, jovial Taft was popular and an intramural heavyweight wrestling champion. One classmate said he succeeded through hard work rather than by being the smartest, and had integrity. He was elected a member of Skull and Bones , the Yale secret society co-founded by his father, one of three future presidents (with George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush ) to be a member. In 1878, Taft graduated second in his class of 121. He attended Cincinnati Law School , and graduated with
3920-408: The middle classes during the 1890s, he was not as conservative as his critics believed. He supported the right of labor to organize and strike, and he ruled against employers in several negligence cases." Among these was Voight v. Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern Railway Co. Taft's decision for a worker injured in a railway accident violated the contemporary doctrine of liberty of contract , and he
4000-569: The military governor, was relieved by General Adna Chaffee , who was designated only as commander of American forces. As Governor-General, Taft oversaw the final months of the primary phase of the Philippine–American War. He approved of General James Franklin Bell 's use of concentration camps in the provinces of Batangas and Laguna , and accepted the surrender of Filipino general Miguel Malvar on April 16, 1902. Taft sought to make
4080-471: The narrow gauge Tanana Valley Railroad , mostly for its railyard in Fairbanks. The railroad was completed on July 15, 1923 with President Warren G. Harding traveling to Alaska to drive a ceremonial golden spike at Nenana . Ownership of the railroad passed from the federal government to the state of Alaska on January 6, 1985. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 226,000, or about 1,700 per weekday as of
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#17327907713784160-760: The newly created United States Department of Transportation . In 1975-76, an infusion of $ 15 million from the DOT enabled various capital improvements including those to facilitate hauling materials for the Alaska Pipeline . On January 6, 1985, the state of Alaska bought the railroad from the U.S. government for $ 22.3 million, based on a valuation determined by the US Railway Association. The state immediately invested over $ 70 million on improvements and repairs that compensated for years of deferred maintenance. The purchase agreement prohibits
4240-544: The north side of the bridge. The railroad was part of the US Department of the Interior. The Alaska Railroad's first diesel locomotive entered service in 1944. The railroad retired its last steam locomotive in 1966. In 1958, land for the future Clear Air Force Station was purchased. (Clear is about 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) south of Nenana.) Approximately 40,000 feet (12 km) of track were diverted, and later
4320-531: The number of Japanese laborers coming to the American West Coast, and during Taft's second visit, in September 1907, Tadasu Hayashi , the foreign minister, informally agreed to issue fewer passports to them . Roosevelt had served almost three and a half years of McKinley's term. On the night of his own election in 1904, Roosevelt publicly declared that he would not run for reelection in 1908 ,
4400-459: The other two being for the presidency. He was elected to a full five-year term. Some two dozen of Taft's opinions as a state judge survive, the most significant being Moores & Co. v. Bricklayers' Union No. 1 (1889) if only because it was used against him when he ran for president in 1908. The case involved bricklayers who refused to work for any firm that dealt with a company called Parker Brothers, with which they were in dispute. Taft ruled that
4480-629: The party. The split left Taft with little chance of reelection, and he took only Utah and Vermont in Wilson's victory. After leaving office, Taft returned to Yale as a professor, continuing his political activity and working against war through the League to Enforce Peace . In 1921, Harding appointed Taft chief justice, an office he had long sought. Chief Justice Taft was a conservative on business issues, and under him there were advances in individual rights. In poor health, he resigned in February 1930, and died
4560-516: The presidency in that November's election . In the White House, he focused on East Asia more than European affairs and repeatedly intervened to prop up or remove Latin American governments. Taft sought reductions to trade tariffs , then a major source of governmental income, but the resulting bill was heavily influenced by special interests. His administration was filled with conflict between
4640-419: The president's successful but strenuous efforts to gain election, "I would not run for president if you guaranteed the office. It is awful to be afraid of one's shadow." Between 1905 and 1907, Taft came to terms with the likelihood he would be the next Republican nominee for president, though he did not plan to actively campaign for it. When Justice Henry Billings Brown resigned in 1906, Taft would not accept
4720-620: The rail line northward. In 1917, the Tanana Valley Railroad in Fairbanks was heading into bankruptcy. It owned a small 45-mile (72 km) 3 ft ( 914 mm ) ( narrow gauge ) line that serviced the towns of Fairbanks and the mining communities in the area as well as the boat docks on the Tanana River near Fairbanks. The government bought the Tanana Valley Railroad, principally for its terminal facilities. The section between Fairbanks and Happy
4800-672: The resignation of Justice George Shiras , and Roosevelt desired that Taft fill it. Although this was Taft's professional goal, he refused as he felt his work as governor was not yet done. The following year, Roosevelt asked Taft to become Secretary of War . As the War Department administered the Philippines, Taft would remain responsible for the islands, and Elihu Root , the incumbent, was willing to postpone his departure until 1904, allowing Taft time to wrap up his work in Manila. After consulting with his family, Taft agreed, and sailed for
4880-577: The route would originate at Delta Junction and use Carmacks as a hub, as in prior plans. The route would continue through Watson Lake, Yukon , en route to a stop at Fort Nelson, British Columbia . It would continue to Peace River, Alberta , with its southern terminus at Fort McMurray . The route was endorsed by the Assembly of First Nations . It was unclear whether this rail connection would ever be utilized for passenger service. On September 25, 2020, then President Donald Trump announced he would issue
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#17327907713784960-469: The seat although Roosevelt offered it, a position Taft held to when another seat opened in 1906. Edith Roosevelt , the First Lady , disliked the growing closeness between the two men, feeling that they were too much alike and that the president did not gain much from the advice of someone who rarely contradicted him. Alternatively, Taft wanted to be chief justice, and kept a close eye on the health of
5040-433: The state. It passes through Anchorage and Denali National Park , to which 17% of visitors travel by train. The railroad has 656 miles (1,056 km) of track, including sidings , rail yards and branch lines . The main line between Seward and Fairbanks is over 470 miles (760 km) long. The branch to Whittier conveys freight railcars interchanged with the contiguous United States via rail barges sailing between
5120-434: The suburb of Mount Auburn . Alphonso served as a judge and an ambassador, and was U.S. Secretary of War and Attorney General under President Ulysses S. Grant . William Taft was not seen as brilliant as a child, but was a hard worker; his demanding parents pushed him and his four brothers toward success, tolerating nothing less. He attended Woodward High School in Cincinnati. At Yale College , which he entered in 1874,
5200-669: The third quarter of 2024. In 2019, the company generated a US$ 21.6 million profit on revenues of US$ 203.9 million , holding US$ 1.1 billion in total assets. In 1903 a company called the Alaska Central Railroad began to build a rail line beginning at Seward , near the southern tip of the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska, northward. The company built 51 miles (82 km) of track by 1909 and went into receivership . This route carried passengers, freight and mail to
5280-649: The union's action amounted to a secondary boycott , which was illegal. It is not clear when Taft met Helen Herron (often called Nellie), but it was no later than 1880, when she mentioned in her diary receiving an invitation to a party from him. By 1884, they were meeting regularly, and in 1885, after an initial rejection, she agreed to marry him. The wedding took place at the Herron home on June 19, 1886. William Taft remained devoted to his wife throughout their almost 44 years of marriage. Nellie Taft pushed her husband much as his parents had, and she could be very frank with her criticisms. The couple had three children, of whom
5360-461: The upper Turnagain Arm . From there, goods were taken by boat at high tide, and by dog team or pack train to Eklutna and the Matanuska-Susitna Valley . In 1909, another company, the Alaska Northern Railroad Company, bought the rail line and extended it another 21 miles (34 km) northward. From the new end, goods were floated down the Turnagain Arm in small boats. The Alaska Northern Railroad went into receivership in 1914. At about this time,
5440-516: The waters for a run but chose to stay out. New York Governor Charles Evans Hughes ran, but when he made a major policy speech, Roosevelt the same day sent a special message to Congress warning in strong terms against corporate corruption . The resulting coverage of the presidential message relegated Hughes to the back pages. Roosevelt reluctantly deterred repeated attempts to draft him for another term. Assistant Postmaster General Frank H. Hitchcock resigned from his office in February 1908 to lead
5520-440: Was assassinated in September 1901, and was succeeded by Theodore Roosevelt. Taft and Roosevelt had first become friends around 1890 while Taft was Solicitor General and Roosevelt a member of the United States Civil Service Commission . Taft had, after McKinley's election, urged the appointment of Roosevelt as Assistant Secretary of the Navy , and watched as Roosevelt became a war hero, Governor of New York , and Vice President of
5600-415: Was a U.S. attorney general and secretary of war . Taft attended Yale and joined Skull and Bones , of which his father was a founding member. After becoming a lawyer, Taft was appointed a judge while still in his twenties. He continued a rapid rise, being named solicitor general and a judge of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals . In 1901, President William McKinley appointed Taft civilian governor of
5680-415: Was ambitious for herself and her husband, and was annoyed when the people he socialized with most were mainly Supreme Court justices, rather than the arbiters of Washington society such as Theodore Roosevelt , John Hay , Henry Cabot Lodge and their wives. In 1891, Taft introduced a new policy: confession of error , by which the U.S. government would concede a case in the Supreme Court that it had won in
5760-500: Was called to Washington to meet with McKinley. Taft hoped a Supreme Court appointment was in the works, but instead McKinley wanted to place Taft on the commission to organize a civilian government in the Philippines . The appointment would require Taft's resignation from the bench; the president assured him that if he fulfilled this task, McKinley would appoint him to the next vacancy on the high court. Taft accepted on condition he
5840-467: Was converted to dual gauge to complete the 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,435 mm ) standard gauge line from Seward to Fairbanks. The government extended the southern portion of the track to Nenana, and later converted the extension to standard gauge. The Alaska Railroad continued to operate the remaining TVRR narrow gauge line as the Chatanika Branch (the terminus
5920-468: Was lukewarm in his support. He landed solidly in McKinley's camp after former Nebraska representative William Jennings Bryan in July stampeded the 1896 Democratic National Convention with his Cross of Gold speech . Bryan, both in that address and in his campaign , strongly advocated free silver , a policy that Taft saw as economic radicalism. Taft feared that people would hoard gold in anticipation of
6000-538: Was made head of the commission, with responsibility for success or failure; McKinley agreed, and Taft sailed for the islands in April 1900. The American takeover meant the Philippine Revolution bled into the Philippine–American War , as Filipinos fought for their independence, but U.S. forces, led by military governor General Arthur MacArthur Jr. had the upper hand by 1900. MacArthur felt
6080-534: Was near the Yukon River ), until decommissioning it in 1930. In 1923 they built the 700-foot (213 m) Mears Memorial Bridge across the Tanana River at Nenana. This was the final link in the Alaska Railroad and at the time, was the second longest single-span steel railroad bridge in the country. U.S. President Warren G. Harding drove the golden spike that completed the railroad on July 15, 1923, on
6160-440: Was originally coal-fired but was converted to oil in 1955. It operated until 1964, when it was deemed surplus and sold as scrap. It was purchased by Monte Holm of Moses Lake, Washington and displayed in his House of Poverty Museum. After Holm's death in 2006, Jim and Vic Jansen bought 557 from the museum and returned it to the Alaska Railroad on the condition that it be restored to operation and put into service. The locomotive
6240-607: Was reversed by the Supreme Court. On the other hand, Taft's opinion in United States v. Addyston Pipe and Steel Co. was upheld unanimously by the high court. Taft's opinion, in which he held that a pipe manufacturers' association had violated the Sherman Antitrust Act , was described by Henry Pringle , his biographer, as having "definitely and specifically revived" that legislation. In 1896, Taft became dean and Professor of Property at his alma mater ,
6320-594: Was sold to the non-profit Engine 557 Restoration Company for "One Dollar ($ 1.00) and other good and valuable considerations" and they have invested (as of January 2019 ) 77 months and over 75,000 hours of volunteer time in the restoration and overhaul. William Howard Taft Defunct Newspapers Journals TV channels Websites Other Economics Gun rights Identity politics Nativist Religion Watchdog groups Youth/student groups Miscellaneous Other William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857 – March 8, 1930)
6400-451: Was the 27th president of the United States and the tenth chief justice of the United States , the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected president in 1908 as a Republican and was defeated for reelection in 1912 by Democratic nominee Woodrow Wilson . In 1921, President Warren G. Harding appointed Taft to be chief justice, a position he held until 1930. Taft was born in Cincinnati , Ohio. His father, Alphonso Taft ,
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