Helen Herron Taft

Childhood Helen Herron was born on June 2, 1861, in Cincinnati as the fourth of eleven children, the daughter of Harriet Collins Herron and lawyer John Williamson Herron. Throughout her life, she went by "Nellie". Her father was an associate of two future presidents: he was a college classmate of Benjamin Harrison and a law partner of Rutherford B. Hayes, Growing up around politics, Herron developed a love for campaigning. eventually becoming proficient in the piano. Seeking a channel for her ambition and independence, she enrolled in Cincinnati's prestigious Miss Nourse School for Girls where she was educated in many subjects, including several languages. In 1877, she accompanied her parents when they visited President Hayes and stayed for several weeks at the White House. This visit instilled in Herron a strong desire to return to the White House as first lady, one that she would often present to her eventual husband. Early career and courtship Herron long wished to leave Ohio, feeling that the region offered her little opportunity. She did not consider marriage to be a viable option, believing that matrimony should not be a woman's goal. As a young adult, she worked for her father in his law office. Her debut took place at this time, which she enjoyed despite considering her social obligations to be frivolous. Herron lamented her lack of career options as a woman, eventually taking up teaching as it was the only available career for which she was qualified. She taught French at a private school in Walnut Hills, Ohio for two years beginning in 1881, but she found it unpleasant. She wished to write or perform music, though neither developed into a career for her. Herron first met William Howard Taft at a sledding party in 1880, though the Herron family and the Taft family were familiar with one another. They would go on to perform together as part of the community theater company. In 1884, Herron founded a salon to discuss intellectual topics each Sunday afternoon with other people of her age. Among the people she invited were Taft and his brother Horace. Taft courted Herron, accompanying her to dances and sending her letters and flowers. Self-doubt caused Herron to avoid commitment to Taft, fearing that he did not truly care for her or value her opinions. Taft proposed to her multiple times, and she eventually accepted in June 1885, though she asked that he keep the engagement secret. ==Marriage and family==

Marriage Herron married Taft on June 19, 1886. They went on a honeymoon in Europe, spending three months in England before visiting Germany and Italy. She managed the budget on their vacation, limiting their spending to five dollars per day. and they lived with his parents until it was complete. Taft's treatment of the Filipino people contributed to improved relations with the country, including her work to end the system of racial segregation that had previously been in place. The couple traveled together to Panama and Japan, and she also took their children on a vacation to England while her husband stayed behind. Taft's husband's career came to a crossroads in 1906 when President Roosevelt considered nominating him for a position on the Supreme Court, while at the same time momentum grew for a William Howard Taft presidency. Taft was vehemently opposed to her husband taking such a position, fearing it would end any further political aspirations. She personally met with Roosevelt and discouraged him from nominating her husband in a half hour discussion. Taft had spoken to the president on several occasions, earning his trust to improve her husband's position in the Roosevelt administration. This would eventually contribute to Roosevelt's support of a William Howard Taft presidency, and Roosevelt would even strategize politically with Taft rather than with her husband as the 1908 presidential election approached. By 1907, Taft's husband was considered to be a potential candidate for the presidency, and the Tafts traveled across the country in a speaking tour. Taft found the experience more intensive than she had expected, and she was deeply embarrassed by one incident in which she lost track of the week and she was seen playing cards with her husband on the Lord's Day. Afterward, they returned to the Philippines and took a trip to other countries. Upon returning to the United States, Taft declined to join her husband in campaigning. She did advise him during his campaign, however, and she closely followed news coverage of the race so that she would be aware of the criticisms against him. She also advised him as to how his decisions as Secretary of War would affect public opinion. ==First Lady of the United States==

Entering the White House Taft considered it a personal victory when her husband was elected president in 1908, as she had guided him toward the office. She eagerly planned for the upcoming inauguration and her term as first lady, including how she would manage the White House. She also had her inaugural dress sent to the Philippines so that it could be embroidered there. President Roosevelt was unavailable on the day of President Taft's inauguration [disputed - discuss], so Taft determined that she would ride to the White House with her husband in Roosevelt's place, becoming the first presidential wife to do so. She left Washington to recover, causing newspapers to report that she had suffered a nervous breakdown. Over the following year, Taft was forced to relearn how to speak. Hostess and socialite Taft had grown accustomed to the royal style of treatment that she had experienced in the Philippines, and she wished to establish a similar regal environment as White House hostess. The presence of the cow was poorly received. one of the Smithsonian’s most popular exhibits. Political influence Taft took an interest in everything relating to her husband's presidency, and she maintained her own opinions on important matters. Though she did not believe that women should be "meddling" in politics, she spoke publicly on her beliefs, even when they contradicted the positions of her husband. She managed his appearance and scheduling to ensure he maintained proper presentation, and she would provide him with political information such as names and statistics as he needed them. She also asked to observe the inauguration of new Supreme Court justices, becoming the first woman to ever sit in the bar of the court. Though her husband disliked the presidency, Taft was saddened when her husband lost reelection to Woodrow Wilson in the 1912 presidential election, and she left the White House reluctantly. == Later life and death ==

After leaving the White House, the Tafts moved to New Haven, Connecticut, where Taft's husband held a chair at Yale University. Taft was unhappy with life outside of the White House, and she was often alone when her husband was traveling and her children were away at school. She was, however, happy to be out of the public eye. In 1914, Taft became the first first lady to publish a memoir with the publication of Recollections of Full Years, which had been written with her daughter Helen and journalist Eleanor Egan. She took an interest in the events of World War I, and during the war she provided support for the American Red Cross. The Tafts continued to travel after retiring from the White House, visiting Bermuda, Panama, England, and Italy, being greeted in the latter two countries by King George V and the Pope, respectively. Continuing in her interest in politics, Taft joined the Colonial Dames of America in 1923 and became its honorary vice president in 1925.She also served as the honorary leader of the Girl Scouts of the USA. After her husband's death in March 1930, she lived with her housekeeper in Washington, D.C., occasionally traveling to other countries. She continued to follow politics later in life, opposing the New Deal policies that were implemented in the 1930s. Taft died in Washington on May 22, 1943, and was buried next to her husband at Arlington National Cemetery. == Legacy ==

Taft was one of the earliest first ladies to become directly involved in the political career of her husband. Her influence in presidential politics was not given significant attention by historians after her death in 1943, and like other first ladies, her influence was not closely examined by historians until the 1980s. Before this, she was most well known for her introduction of cherry trees in the West Potomac Park. The first biography about Taft was written in 2005 by Carl Sferrazza Anthony, who argued that she was her husband's closest advisor and that she saw herself as responsible for the presidency as her husband. Her role as a mentor and guide to her husband was recognized by contemporary journalists and has since become a defining aspect of her legacy. She is recognized for her role in developing her husband's political career and bringing about the presidency of William Howard Taft. ==References==