"The author proves that a reconsideration of the project and legacy of William Howard Taft is necessary."—Choice
“A comprehensive and convincing study of Taft’s Progressive credentials. Combining Herbert Croley’s nationalism with a deeply studied constitutional faith, Taft as president and as chief justice vindicated the state-building capacity of the federal government to express and institute an articulate national will through a reformed Republican Party. In marked contrast, both the Democratic Party and Woodrow Wilson appear mired in an intellectual, constitutional, and partisan past premised on states’ rights, patronage, and local interests.”—Eldon J. Eisenach, professor of political science emeritus, University of Tulsa
“This major revisionist interpretation of William Howard Taft rejects the long-standing view that he was merely a standpat conservative and hidebound legalist. Kevin J. Burns argues persuasively that Taft was simultaneously a political reformer and a constitutional conservative. Deeply researched and clearly written, this book traces Taft’s support for substantial Progressive reforms amid his irrevocable conviction that the founders’ Constitution should not be transformed or abandoned. How Taft reconciled these imperatives is explained in this work of keen historical insight and remarkable contemporary relevance. This book will stand as a landmark in the study of Taft’s constitutionalism.”—Johnathan O'Neill, professor of history, Georgia Southern University
“This excellent book crafts an astute reconsideration of William Howard Taft’s ideas and career. Rejecting the usual portrayal of Taft as conservative, Burns convincingly shows him to be a committed reformer who was also dedicated to acting within constitutional norms. Thus we learn Taft was a different kind of Progressive than Roosevelt, one whose contributions were, perhaps, more permanent because they were ensconced in law and administrative structure. This is an important contribution to understanding both Taft and Progressive Era politics.”—Peri E. Arnold, professor of political science emeritus, University of Notre Dame, and author of Remaking the Presidency: Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson, 1901–1916
“Here is a book that we have needed for a very long time. Our image of William Howard Taft has for too long been buried under countless layers of historiographical caricature, in which blanket condemnations of his legalism and catty jokes about his weight have been made to stand in for careful analysis. Kevin Burns’s attentive and sympathetic study shows us what we have been missing. Unlike those Progressives, then and now, who see the evisceration of the Constitution as the sine qua non for reform, Taft believed it was possible to use constitutional means to achieve Progressive ends. Thanks to Burns’s labors, we may be able to reconsider that possibility ourselves.”—Wilfred M. McClay, G. T. and Libby Blankenship Chair in the History of Liberty, University of Oklahoma
“Kevin Burns is aware that many scholars see Taft as a reactionary opponent of progressivism, but Burns makes a persuasive case that Taft was fully committed to the need for reform to deal with rapidly changing social and economic conditions at the beginning of the twentieth century. Burns shows the surprising extent of Taft’s progressive agenda and, perhaps more important, explains why Taft believed that the institutions created by the Constitution would provide the soundest foundation for lasting reform. Burns admits that Taft failed as a popular leader in the 1912 election, but his efforts to modernize the judiciary reflect his extensive political skills. This book is a work of meticulous scholarship presented in lucid prose revealing the many dimensions of Taft’s influence on American politics.”—David Nichols, associate professor of political science, Baylor University
