“We are all imperfect. We cannot expect perfect government.” William Howard Taft
Being president of the United States was far from William Howard Taft’s dream job. But, when virtually all your family members–especially your spouse–are pushing you toward it, you go with it. And when your good friend, the current president, hand selects you to proceed him, the decision kind of makes itself.
William Howard Taft had a lot going for him. He was reliable, likable, well-educated and a distinguished jurist. Unfortunately, he wasn’t cut out for politics and his four years in the White House made him miserable.
Now, no one likes for their weight to be an issue, but President Taft is well known for being the heaviest president in U.S. history. The poor guy’s weight fluctuated from 255 pounds to his heaviest at over 350 pounds. As such, he had an over-sized bathtub installed in the White House. Let’s just say a story goes that Taft was such a large man that despite the tub being large enough to fit four men, he still once got stuck in it. True or not, his weight became a major issue over the course of his lifetime.
Taft didn’t let it define him though and kept a good sense of humor about it. He’s our “president of the week” and oddly enough, his dream job came after he served as president.
