born Sept. 8, 1889, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
died July 31, 1953, New York, N.Y.
U.S. politician.
The son of William H. Taft , he served in the Ohio legislature before being elected to the U.S. Senate (193953). He became known as a strong advocate of traditional conservativism and earned the nickname "Mr. Republican." He opposed centralizing power in the federal government and cosponsored the Taft-Hartley Act to restrict organized labour. An isolationist, he opposed U.S. involvement in postwar international organizations. He was a favourite-son candidate for president at Republican Party national conventions, especially in 1948 and 1952, but internationalists in the party opposed his conservative views. After the election of Dwight Eisenhower , Taft became Senate majority leader and Eisenhower's chief adviser in the Senate.