Lawyer William Howard Taft was a state judge at 30 years of age and a federal judge at the age of 34. He served as secretary of war to President Theodore Roosevelt, a close friend, then followed Roosevelt to the White House in 1909. Taft took strong action against abuses in big business and encouraged government reform, but he lost the confidence of Republicans who supported Roosevelt and battled with Congress. In 1912, Roosevelt ran against Taft...