Ohio River Scenic Byway
William Howard Taft National Historic Site, OH

From the time of his birth in 1857 until he embarked on a political career that would win him the two highest offices in the nation, William Howard Taft lived in Cincinnati, Ohio, surrounded by family and breathing in what his mother called "inspiration to everything that was good."

In 1902 Louis Taft reminded her son, then Governor of the Philippines, of his late father's role in his career:

You owe so much to his influence that you might be thought a striking exemplification of the influence of heredity, and the environment which surrounded you in living in the same atmosphere, and breathing in the same air -- an inspiration to everything that was good.

Louise and Alphonso Taft raised their six children in the family tradition of hard work, fair play, and public service. They lived these principles themselves. Steeped in lofty ideals, dutiful Will Taft set a course that took him from his Cincinnati home to the nation's highest ranks.