- Charles Phelps Taft
-
Charles Phelps Taft I (December 21, 1843 – December 31, 1929) was an American lawyer and politician.
Contents
Biography
He was born on December 21, 1843 in Cincinnati, Ohio to Alphonso Taft, and his brother was President William Howard Taft.
He graduated from Yale University in 1864, and from Columbia University's law department in 1866. In 1867 he received another degree from the University of Heidelberg. In 1869 he resumed his law practice.
Taft married Anna Sinton in 1873, who was an heiress to a pig iron fortune, left by her father David Sinton.
In 1879 he became editor of the Cincinnati Times-Star, which would later be bought by the Cincinnati Post. This began the Taft media empire which was his main claim to fame. In 1895 he went to Congress, but served only two years. He returned to the newspaper business after that and for a time owned the Chicago Cubs baseball team from 1914-1916.
He died on December 31, 1929.
Legacy
Following his death, Annie (Anna) Sinton Taft donated $5 million to the University of Cincinnati in 1930 and established a memorial fund after his name. This fund was transformed in 2005 into the Charles Phelps Taft Research Center at the University of Cincinnati. The town of Taft, Texas was named after him in 1904.[1]
External links
- Charles Phelps Taft at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Article mentioning him
- Piece on him
- Taft Research Center at the University of Cincinnati
Sources
United States House of Representatives Preceded by
Bellamy StorerMember of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Ohio's 1st congressional district
March 4, 1895–March 4, 1897Succeeded by
William B. ShattucBusiness positions Preceded by
Charles MurphyOwner of the Chicago Cubs
1914–1916Succeeded by
Charles WeeghmanPrincipal owners of the Chicago Cubs franchise William Hulbert • Albert Spalding • Jim Hart • Charles Murphy • Charles Phelps Taft • Charles Weeghman • William Wrigley, Jr. • Philip K. Wrigley • William Wrigley III • Tribune Company • Thomas S. RickettsCategories:- 1843 births
- 1929 deaths
- Phillips Academy alumni
- American newspaper editors
- American people of English descent
- Baseball executives
- Columbia Law School alumni
- Taft family
- Siblings of Presidents of the United States
- University of Heidelberg alumni
- Yale University alumni
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio
- People from Cincinnati, Ohio
- American business biography, 1840s birth stubs
- Ohio United States Representative stubs
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.