The Taft Legacy in Letters
By: Christine Engels, Manager, Archives
Since at least the 1870s the Taft family has supported the institutions that became Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC), specifically the Historical and Philosophical Society of Ohio (later the Cincinnati Historical Society, now the Cincinnati History Library and Archives). Alphonso and Louisa Taft, parents of William Howard Taft, began this trend, and their children, grandchildren, and now great grandchildren continue the tradition. In 2025, former Ohio Governor Bob Taft donated even more letters from the Taft family.
This latest collection contains over 400 family letters from the children of William Howard and Nellie Taft. William Howard Taft (1857-1930) married Helen “Nellie” Herron (1861-1943) in 1886. They had three children, Robert A. Taft, Sr. (1889-1953), Helen Taft Manning (1891-1987), and Charles Phelps Taft, II (1897-1983).
The letters are full of the warmth of a family who were obviously quite close. They hold a charming mixture of serious political discussions alongside news familiar to any family of marriages, births, death, travels, celebrations, and all of the stories that go along with it. You can watch the three children grow up through their letters. They were quite young when their letters begin in the early 1900s, and by the 1920s they were starting families and finding their footing in careers. The letters do not cover the peak of any of their political or academic lives but instead offer a look into the thoughts of younger civic-minded post-WWI Americans. Though all three children wrote extensively to their mother the collection does not contain any of Nellie Taft’s letters. Nellie suffered a stroke during the time covered by the letters and even when recovered kept a busy schedule of charitable work.
Robert’s political career ultimately brought him to Washington, DC where he served as an Ohio Senator from 1939 to 1953. He became Speaker of the House in 1953 and was known as “Mr. Republican,” running unsuccessfully for president three times. Helen Taft Manning earned history degrees from both Bryn Mawr and Yale University. She later became a dean and history professor at Bryn Mawr. Charles Phelps Taft, II served with the 12th Field Artillery, Second Division, A. E. F. during World War I and the collection includes some letters written from France. When he returned home, he began his legal career and joined his brother Robert in the world of Cincinnati and Ohio politics. Together they formed the law firm of Taft, Stettinius and Hollister. He also served as Cincinnati’s mayor 1955-1957 and, although he was a Republican, was also an important part of the Charter Party.
This collection is a wonderful complement to CMC’s other Taft family papers and highlights the family’s deep connections to US and Cincinnati history.
You can search the Taft family papers through our online search portal at https://searchcollections.cincymuseum.org/.
