Editing William Howard Taft (section)

==Early life and education==
[[File:William Howard Taft Yale College BA 1878.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Yale College]] photograph of Taft, {{c.}} 1878]]
William Howard Taft was born September 15, 1857, in [[Cincinnati, Ohio]], to [[Alphonso Taft]] and [[Louise Taft|Louise Torrey]].<ref name="ANB">{{Cite book |last=Gould |first=Louis L. |url=https://archive.org/details/lookitupbookofpr00blas_2 |title=Taft, William Howard |date=February 2000 |publisher=Random House |isbn=978-0-679-80358-4 |access-date=February 14, 2016 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> The [[Taft family]] was not wealthy, living in a modest home in the suburb of [[Mount Auburn Historic District|Mount Auburn]]. Alphonso served as a judge and an ambassador, and was [[U.S. Secretary of War]] and [[United States Attorney General|Attorney General]] under President [[Ulysses S. Grant]].{{sfn|Lurie|pp=4–5}}

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 (Cincinnati, Ohio)|Woodward High School]] in Cincinnati. At [[Yale College]], which he entered in 1874, 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.{{sfn|Lurie|pp=4–7}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/10-fascinating-facts-about-president-and-chief-justice-william-howard-taft-|access-date=January 28, 2018|publisher=[[National Constitution Center]]|title=10 birthday facts about President and Chief Justice William Howard Taft|date=September 15, 2018|archive-date=October 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020000820/https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/10-fascinating-facts-about-president-and-chief-justice-william-howard-taft-|url-status=live}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite journal|title=The 13 most powerful members of "Skull and Bones"|journal=Business Insider|date=December 6, 2015|last1=Jackson|first1=Abby|last2=Sterbenz|first2=Christina|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/the-10-most-powerful-members-of-skull-and-bones-2015-12|access-date=December 6, 2020|archive-date=October 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028042707/https://www.businessinsider.com/the-10-most-powerful-members-of-skull-and-bones-2015-12|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1878, Taft graduated second in his class of 121.<ref name="NYTobit">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0915.html|title=Obituary: Taft Gained Peaks in Unusual Career|newspaper=New York Times|date=March 9, 1930|access-date=March 3, 2017|archive-date=July 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701100451/http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0915.html|url-status=live}}</ref> He attended [[Cincinnati Law School]],{{sfn|Lurie|p=8}} and graduated with a [[Bachelor of Laws]] in 1880. While in law school, he worked on ''The Cincinnati Commercial'' newspaper,<ref name="NYTobit"/> 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, Ohio|Columbus]] to take the [[bar examination]] and easily passed.{{sfn|Pringle vol 1|pp=49–53}}