William Howard Taft: A Resource Guide

William H. Taft, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing left. 1 photographic print. 1908. Prints & Photographs Division. Reproduction Number: LC-USZ62-96924

American Memory Historical Collections

The African-American Experience in Ohio, 1850-1920

This collection of manuscript, printed text, and images drawn from the collections of the Ohio Historical Society illuminates the history of black Ohio from 1850 to 1920. Search the bibliographic records and the full-text option to find more than ninety items related to William Howard Taft, including articles in the Cleveland Journal announcing his nomination and victory in the 1908 presidential election.

Alexander Graham Bell Family Papers at the Library of Congress

This collection contains about 4,650 items consisting of correspondence, scientific notebooks, journals, blueprints, articles, and photographs documenting Bell's invention of the telephone and his involvement in the first telephone company, his family life, his interest in the education of the deaf, and his aeronautical and other scientific research. It includes three letters written by William Howard Taft to Alexander Graham Bell.

An American Time Capsule: Three Centuries of Broadsides and Other Printed Ephemera

The Printed Ephemera collection comprises 28,000 primary source items dating from the seventeenth century to the present and encompasses key events and eras in American history. It includes a proclamation concerning copyright that was issued by Taft in 1910 and biographical sketches of Taft, Theodore Roosevelt, and Robert M. La Follette from the 1912 presidential election.

By Popular Demand: Portraits of the Presidents and First Ladies, 1789-Present

This collection presents portraits of U.S. presidents and first ladies, including four images of Taft and one image of his wife, Helen Herron Taft.

The Chinese in California, 1850-1925

This collection illustrates nineteenth and early twentieth century Chinese immigration to California through about 8,000 images and pages of primary source materials, including two letters written by Taft.

The Evolution of the Conservation Movement, 1850-1920

This collection documents the historical formation and cultural foundations of the movement to conserve and protect America's natural heritage through books, pamphlets, government documents, manuscripts, prints, photographs, and motion picture footage drawn from the collections of the Library of Congress. It includes more than eighty proclamations issued by President William Howard Taft.

History of the American West, 1860-1920: Photographs from the Collection of the Denver Public Library

Over 30,000 photographs, drawn from the holdings of the Western History and Genealogy Department at Denver Public Library, illuminate many aspects of the history of the American West. This collection contains seventeen photographs of William Howard Taft.

"I Do Solemnly Swear...": Presidential Inaugurations

This collection contains approximately 400 items relating to presidential inaugurations, including Taft's inauguration in 1909.

Highlights from this collection include:

• The final draft of Taft's inaugural address.
• A March 4, 1909, diary entry of Fred W. Carpenter, Taft's secretary.
  

Photographs from the Chicago Daily News, 1902-1933

This collection comprises over 55,000 images of urban life captured on glass plate negatives between 1902 and 1933 by photographers employed by the Chicago Daily News, including forty-nine photographs related to William Howard Taft.

Among the collection’s Taft-related images are:

• Taft sitting and writing at a desk in 1905.
• Taft and his wife in Chicago, Illinois, in 1908.
• Taft walking out of the Auditorium Annex building, later the Congress Hotel, in Chicago, Illinois, in 1908.

Taking the Long View: Panoramic Photographs, 1851-1991

The Panoramic Photograph Collection contains approximately 4,000 images featuring American cityscapes, landscapes, and group portraits, including eight photographs related to William Howard Taft and his summer residence in Beverly, Massachusetts.

Theodore Roosevelt: His Life and Times on Film

This presentation features 104 films that record events in Theodore Roosevelt's life from the Spanish-American War in 1898 to his death in 1919. It also contains a film of William Howard Taft arriving in Panama in 1910.

Touring Turn-of-the-Century America: Photographs from the Detroit Publishing Company, 1880-1920

This collection of photographs from the Detroit Publishing Company Collection includes over 25,000 glass negatives and transparencies as well as about 300 color photolithograph prints, including three photographs of William Howard Taft.

Traveling Culture: Circuit Chautauqua in the Twentieth Century

This digital collection presents 7,949 publicity brochures, promotional advertisements, and talent circulars for some 4,546 performers who were part of the Chautauqua circuit, including two items from former president William Howard Taft.

Washington As It Was: Photographs by Theodor Horydczak, 1923-1959

Spanning from the mid-1920s through the 1950s, the Theodor Horydczak collection (about 14,350 photographs online) documents the architecture and social life of the Washington metropolitan area. This collection contains three photographs of a portrait painting of William Howard Taft.