Taft family

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Taft family hails from Cincinnati, Ohio; its members have served Ohio and the United States in various positions, such as Governor of Ohio, U.S. Senator (two), Attorney General, Secretary of War (two), President, and Chief Justice.

After the Lytle family and the Longworth family, the Taft family became and remains Cincinnati's leading family. They have built an Ohio dynasty, which nominally is comparable to the Adams, Bush, and Kennedy political families.

[edit] Overview

The Taft family has historical ties to Yale University, where many of its family members have been educated. The Taft family has also had the most members involved with the secret society Skull and Bones.

The first known ancestor of the Taft family is Robert Taft, who was born about 1640 in England and died in 1724 in Massachusetts. His wife Sarah was born in England, too; they married in 1668 in Braintree, Ma. He was an ancestor of both parents of President William Howard Taft, who were fourth cousins twice removed.

[edit] Family tree

Prominent members of the Taft family include:

Robert Taft (1640-1724)
- Joseph Taft (1680-1747) , son of Robert Taft
  - Peter Taft (1715-1783), son of Joseph Taft
    - Aaron Taft (1743-1808), son of Peter Taft
      - Peter Rawson Taft I (1785-1867), son of Aaron Taft: member of the Vermont legislature
        
        Alphonso Taft (1810-1891), son of Peter Rawson Taft I: U.S. secretary of war (1876), U.S. attorney general (1876-1877)
        
        Charles Phelps Taft I (1843-1929), son of Alphonso Taft: U.S. representative (1895-1897), publisher (Cincinnati Times-Star), U.S. representative, owner of the Chicago Cubs until 1916
        
        Hulbert Taft Sr.: Publisher (Cincinnati Times-Star) - son of Charles Phelps Taft I
        
        Hulbert Taft Jr., son of Hulbert Taft Sr.: Broadcaster (Taft Broadcasting)
        
        Dudley S. Taft Sr.: businessman, member of the boards of Taft Broadcasting, Cinergy, Tribune Co.
        
        Dudley S. Taft Jr.
        
        William Howard Taft I (1857-1930), son of Alphonso Taft: U.S. president (1909-1913), U.S. chief justice (1921-1930), U.S. secretary of war (1904-1908)
        
        Robert Alphonso Taft I (1889-1953), son of William Howard Taft I: U.S. senator from Ohio (1939-1953)
        
        William Howard Taft III (1915-1991), son of Robert Alphonso Taft I: ambassador to Ireland
        
        William Howard Taft IV, son of William Howard Taft III: chief legal adviser to the U.S. Department of State
        
        William Howard Taft V, son of William Howard Taft IV
        
        John Thomas Taft, son of William Howard Taft III
        
        Stephen Alexander Rinehart Taft, son of John Thomas Taft
        
        Robert Taft (Jr.) (1917-1993), son of Robert Alphonso Taft I: U.S. senator from Ohio (1971-1977)
        
        Robert Alphonso Taft II (1942-), son of Robert Taft (Jr.): governor of Ohio (1999-2007)
        
        Jonathan Duncan Taft, son of Robert Taft (Jr.)
        
        Lloyd Bowers Taft I, son of Robert Alphonso Taft I
        
        Lloyd Bowers Taft II, son of Lloyd Bowers Taft I
        
        Daniel Culley Taft, son of Lloyd Bowers Taft II
        
        Virginia Taft, daughter of Lloyd Bowers Taft II
        
        Bennett Stone Taft, son of Lloyd Bowers Taft II
        
        Patricia Moore Taft, daughter of Lloyd Bowers Taft I
        
        Horace Dwight Taft (1925-1983), son of Robert Alphonso Taft I: physics professor at Yale University
        
        John Godfrey Taft, son of Horace Dwight Taft
        
        Hugh Bancroft Taft, son of Horace Dwight Taft
        
        Horace Dutton Taft II, son of Horace Dwight Taft
        
        Charles Phelps Taft II (1897-1983), son of William Howard Taft I: Charterite Cincinnati mayor (1955-1957), Cincinnati city council member (1938-1942), Hamilton County, Ohio, prosecutor (1927-1928), candidate for governor of Ohio (1952), candidate for Republican nomination for Ohio governor (1958)
        
        Seth Chase Taft, son of Charles Phelps Taft II: Candidate for Ohio Senate (1962); candidate for mayor of Cleveland, Ohio (1967); candidate for Republican nomination for governor of Ohio (1982)
        
        Frederick Irving Taft, son of Seth Chase Taft
        
        Thomas Prindle Taft, son of Seth Chase Taft
        
        Seth Chase Taft, son of Thomas Prindle Taft
        
        Cynthia Bradley Taft, daughter of Seth Chase Taft
        
        Seth Tucker Taft, son of Seth Chase Taft
        
        Peter Rawson Taft III, son of Charles Phelps Taft II
        
        Henry Waters Taft (1859-1945), son of Alphonso Taft: candidate for justice of New York Court of Appeals (1898); New York delegate to Republican National Convention (1920, 1924)
        
        Walbridge Smith Taft (1885-1951), son of Henry Waters Taft: Candidate for U.S. representative from New York
        
        Horace Dutton Taft I (1861-1943), son of Alphonso Taft: author, founder of The Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut
        
        Peter Rawson Taft II (1845-1889), son of Alphonso Taft
        
        Samuel Davenport Taft (1855-1855), son of Alphonso Taft
- Robert Taft II (1674-1748), son of Robert Taft
  - Robert Taft III (1697-1777), son of Robert Taft II
    - Robert Taft IV (1724-1787), son of Robert Taft III
      - Lovett Taft (1756-1837), son of Robert Taft IV
        
        Aurin Post Taft (1788-1861), son of Lovett Taft
        
        Frederick Lovett Taft I (1811-1869), son of Lovett Taft
        
        Newton Archibald Taft (1843-1890), son of Frederick Lovett Taft I
        
        Frederick Lovett Taft II (1870-1913), son of Newton Archibald Taft
        
        Kingsley Arter Taft (1903-1970), son of Frederick Lovett Taft II: U.S. senator, chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court
        
        David Taft, son of Kingsley Arter Taft: COO of Landec Corp., trustee of Kenyon College
        
        Sheldon A. Taft, son of Kingsley Arter Taft: candidate for Ohio Supreme Court judgeship
  - Israel Taft, son of Robert Taft II
    - Jacob Taft, son of Israel Taft
      - Eastman Taft, son of Jacob Taft
        
        Chloe Taft, daughter of Eastman Taft and his 2nd cousin Hannah Taft
        
        Ezra Taft Benson I, son of Chloe Taft; Mormon apostle and Representative to the Utah Territorial Legislature
        
        George Taft Benson I, son of Ezra Taft Benson I
        
        George Taft Benson II, son of George Taft Benson I
        
        Ezra Taft Benson II, son of George Taft Benson II; U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Leader of the LDS Church 1985-94
        
        Bonnie Amussen Benson, daughter of Ezra Taft Benson II
        
        Mark Benson Madsen, son of Bonnie Amussen Benson, Utah State Senate 2002-current
  - John Taft, son of Robert Taft II
    - Jesse Taft, son of John Taft
      - Hannah Taft, daughter of Jesse Taft, married to her 2nd cousin Eastman Taft (see above)
- Daniel Taft, son of Robert Taft
  - Daniel Taft II, son of Daniel Taft
    - Nathan Taft, son of Daniel Taft II
      - Zadok Lovell Taft, son of Nathan Taft
        
        Don Carlos Taft, son of Zadok Lovell Taft
        
        Lorado Taft, son of Don Carlos Taft
        
        Emily Taft Douglas, daughter of Lorado Taft; Congresswoman, U.S. representative