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Robert A. Taft Biography
U.S. Senator
Robert A. Taft was known as "Mr. Republican" for his dominance during the years 1939-1953, when he served as a U.S. senator from Ohio. Taft is most famous for his steady opposition to Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal policies, and for sponsoring the Taft-Hartley Labor Relations Act of 1947. Taft was the son of Helen Herron Taft and William Howard Taft, U.S. president from 1909-1913. Robert Taft stood for the GOP presidential nomination three different times, but never received the nomination; in 1952 he was considered a frontrunner but was defeated by war hero Dwight Eisenhower. Taft became Senate majority leader just before his death in 1953.
Extra credit: Taft's son Robert Jr. also was a U.S. senator from Ohio, from 1971-77. His grandson Bob Taft was elected governor of Ohio in 1998.
Other famous Republicans of the 1950s include Prescott Bush, Harold Stassen and Richard Nixon.
Four Good Links
Robert Alphonso Taft
Official and brief bio from the Senate
The Emergence of Robert Taft
Review of a 1997 biography; says Taft was "ill-suited for the television age"
Robert A. Taft Memorial and Carillon
Photos of monuments to Taft, with a brief biographical sketch
Robert A. Taft
Biographical background from a U.S. history site
Vital Stats
Birth
Birthplace
Death
Best Known As
The U.S. Senate's "Mr. Republican"