[Abridged] Presidential Histories

27.A.) The rise and presidency of William Howard Taft; an interview with Peri Arnold

Kenny Ryan

To hear William Howard Taft tell it, all he ever wanted to do is be a federal judge. But people don't just accidentally become president.

Join me as I talk with Peri Arnold, a professor Emeritus in the Department of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame, a consultant to New York Times in Education, and author of several books, including Remaking the Presidency: Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson; about the role ambition, luck, and family played in Taft's rise to the nation's highest office.


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