Scope and Content Note
The papers of Robert Alphonso Taft (1889-1953) span the years 1885-1980, with the bulk of the items concentrated in the period 1938-1953. The papers have been organized in the following series: Family Papers , Personal File , General Correspondence , Letters Sent , Political File , Legislative Papers , Subject File , Special Files , Speeches and Writings File , Business Papers , Miscellany , Addition , Oversize , and Top Secret .
Family Papers consist of correspondence and other material documenting the lives of four generations of Tafts. Major correspondents include Robert A. Taft's parents, Helen Herron Taft and William Howard Taft, his sister, Helen Taft Manning, his wife, Martha Wheaton Bowers Taft, and his son, Robert Taft (1917-1993). There is a sizable amount of biographical material on William H. Taft, twenty-seventh president of the United States, including printed matter and correspondence with numerous individuals, among them Henry Pringle, author of The Life and Work of William Howard Taft. The series also contains letters of condolence on the death of both parents.
The Personal File reflects Taft's early law career and civic engagements in Cincinnati, Ohio; his service during World War I, which included a close association with Herbert Hoover in Washington, D.C., and Paris; and his postwar occupational and political activities in Ohio until 1927.
The General Correspondence series contains letters and other material related to Taft's numerous business enterprises and associates, his colleagues in the United States Senate, and other friends and acquaintances. This series, as a separate filing unit, was terminated in 1945; thereafter correspondence was filed as political, legislative, or general, with political and legislative correspondence filed chronologically and general correspondence filed alphabetically by subject.
The Letters Sent series consists of Taft's replies to professional correspondence received. The series serves as a locator for incoming correspondence filed under Political File , Legislative Papers , or Subject File . Typed in the top margin of each page are cross references to the original item, subject matter, and often Taft's reason for responding.
The most significant series within the collection are Political File , Legislative Papers , and Subject File . They reflect the development of Taft's political career at both the state and national levels as well as his rise to leadership within the Republican party. The bulk of the Political File concerns Taft's campaigns for the United States Senate (1938-1950) and for the Republican presidential nomination (1940-1952), with over one-third of the series relating to his bid in 1952. Also notable are files concerning his years in the Ohio state legislature, organized labor's opposition to his Senate campaign of 1950, and its consequent investigation by Congress.
The Legislative Papers relate to matters of policy and legislation either proposed or enacted into law. They include correspondence, petitions, suggestions, and inquiries concerning programs and positions taken by Taft and the Republican party on local, state, and national issues not found in the more general Subject File . There are also published committee hearings and reports, files relating to individuals, and letters containing praise, criticism, or suggestions from political leaders and the public. Subjects of note include economics, labor, defense, foreign policy, finance and taxation, and veterans.
The Subject File represents a broad spectrum of topics concerning public affairs. The series was organized in Taft's senatorial office in 1946 and was used until his death in 1953. The papers, filed chronologically and thereunder alphabetically by subject, illustrate Taft's belief that a politician should not only work for the good of his constituents and the nation as a whole, but also provide moral leadership. On the whole, Taft was a staunch believer in party unity, but at times he was also capable of taking very independent positions on political issues. This paradoxical nature is reflected on the one hand by his intense opposition to certain policies of presidents Roosevelt, Truman, and Eisenhower and on the other hand by his wholehearted support for different policies by the same presidents.
The Special File consists of material on political figures. These include Thomas E. Dewey, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Herbert Hoover, Harold E. Stassen, Adlai E. Stevenson (1900-1965), and Harry S. Truman.
The Speeches and Writings File represents a comprehensive collection of Taft's addresses, public statements, radio broadcasts, news releases, and published articles. They are arranged chronologically and thereunder alphabetically by type of material.
The Business Papers document Taft's financial investments, properties in Ohio and in Washington, D.C., philanthropic support for artistic and cultural institutions, personal finances, as well as estate papers of several Taft family members.
The Miscellany series contains appointment books, clippings, galley proofs and correspondence relating to Taft's 1951 publication A Foreign Policy for Americans, honorary degrees and citations for service, letters of condolence, material concerning both the Taft family summer home and a fish and game club in Canada, and also material documenting Taft's long relationship with his alma mater Yale University.
The Addition consists of family papers, general correspondence, political material, speeches and writings, business papers, and miscellaneous material. Of note are Martha Bowers Taft's political correspondence and speeches, illustrating her skill as campaigner and speaker in her own right as well as her more traditional role as politician's wife. There are letters from William H. Taft while chief justice of the Supreme Court to his son Robert Alphonso in which he discusses contemporary judicial topics. Also of interest is the file detailing the establishment of a memorial to the twenty-seventh president in Arlington National Cemetery. Robert A. Taft's life is chronicled by the files containing his speeches, records concerning the settling of his personal estate, clippings and other biographical material, as well as numerous letter of condolence written to both his wife and son Robert, Jr. The public's appreciation of Taft's life and achievements are evident in files documenting memorials to Taft in Cincinnati and Washington, D.C.
Oversize material consists of an architectural sketch, memorial resolutions in honor of Robert A. Taft, photostatic copies, and scrapbooks.