Bob Taft
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| Bob Taft | |
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| January 1999 – present (term limited, 2007) | |
| Lieutenant Governor: | Maureen O'Connor (1999-2003), Jennette Bradley (2003-05), Bruce Johnson (2005- present) |
|---|---|
| Predecessor: | Nancy P. Hollister |
| Successor: | Ted Strickland(Governor-elect) |
| Born: | January 8, 1942 Boston, Massachusetts |
| Political party: | Republican |
| Profession: | Lawyer |
| Spouse: | Hope Taft |
| Religion: | Methodist |
Robert Alphonso "Bob" Taft II (born January 8, 1942) has been the Republican governor of the U.S. state of Ohio since 1999. He is known beyond the state's boundaries for the recent corruption scandals under his administration, particularly Coingate.
Although Taft was born in Boston, Massachusetts, he was raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he attended the Cincinnati Country Day School through the ninth grade and graduated from Taft High School. He attended Yale University, graduating in 1963. From 1963 to 1965, he served as a Peace Corps volunteer, teaching in the African nation of Tanzania. He then attended Princeton University, receiving a master of arts degree from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs in 1967. In 1976 he received a Juris Doctor from the University of Cincinnati College of Law.
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[edit] Political career
Taft was elected to the Ohio state House of Representatives (1976–1981), and then was Hamilton County commissioner (1981–1990). In 1990, he was elected secretary of state, defeating incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown. He was re-elected in 1994, defeating Democratic candidate Dan Brady.
Taft was elected governor of Ohio in 1998, defeating Democrat Lee Fisher 50-45 percent, and was reelected in 2002, defeating Democrat Tim Hagan 58-38 percent. Then in 1999, Taft issued an executive order mandating four hours of ethics training for his cabinet directors, assistant cabinet directors, and senior staff every two years. During his tenure, Taft offered seats in the governor’s box at The Ohio State University football games and invitations to the governor’s mansion in exchange for secret contributions to the Ohio Republican Party.<ref>http://www.cincypost.com/2002/jun/22/ludlow_06-22-2002.html</ref>
In the wake of convictions for ethics violations (see "Criminal charges", below), Gov. Taft's approval rating bottomed out at 6.5%, according to a late November, 2005 poll by Zogby, giving him quite possibly the lowest polled approval rating ever by a United States politician.<ref>[1]</ref> A SurveyUSA poll that same month gave Taft a rating of 18%. A late-2005 article in Time Magazine named him as one of the three worst governors in the country.<ref>[2]</ref>
In February 2006 Taft refused to sign legislation removing the 'Plain Sight' provision from the Ohio concealed carry law. This legislation would also keep the Cleveland Plain Dealer from publishing the names and home addresses of licensees.<ref>[3]</ref>
[edit] Family
The Taft family has been involved in Republican politics for over a century. His great-great-grandfather Alphonso Taft was Secretary of War, Attorney General, and an Ambassador; his great-grandfather William Howard Taft was President and Chief Justice of the United States; and his grandfather (Robert Alphonso Taft I) and his father (Robert Taft Jr.) were both U.S. Senators. His first cousin, William Howard Taft IV formerly served as chief legal advisor to the U.S. Department of State, before resigning after the reelection of President George W. Bush. His uncle, William Howard Taft III was an Ambassador. His great-grand-uncle Charles Phelps Taft was a U.S. Representative from Ohio and for a time, an owner of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. His great-great-great-grandfather, Peter Rawson Taft, was a member of the Vermont legislature. Other prominent relatives include Seth Chase Taft, Charles Phelps Taft II, Peter Rawson Taft II, Henry Waters Taft, Walbridge S. Taft, and Horace Dutton Taft. Kingsley A. Taft was a U.S. Senator from Ohio and Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court.
Bob Taft is also related to current President George W. Bush through at least three different marriages, ranging from eighth-cousin-once-removed to 11th-cousin-once-removed, as well as being a ninth cousin of Vice President Dick Cheney (see Cousin chart to understand these terms).
[edit] Criminal conviction
On August 17, 2005, Taft was charged with four criminal misdemeanors stemming from his failure to disclose golf outings paid for by lobbyists, as well as some undisclosed gifts. The Associated Press reported the total value of the undisclosed gifts as about US$5,800; they included:
- book and artwork from the consulate general of the People’s Republic of China worth $100
- a book, autographed football and pottery from then-Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge valued at $128
- a photograph and framed medal from the Defense Supply Center worth $85
- a $125 framed photograph from Murphy Beading Designer Portraits of Zanesville
- an $87 stuffed bear from Meigs County commissioners
- a portfolio and clothing worth $119 from the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber.
This was the first time an Ohio governor has ever been charged with a crime while in office.<ref>[4]</ref>
At his arraignment in Franklin County Municipal Court in Columbus on August 18, Taft pleaded no contest and was fined $4,000 plus court cost. Judge Mark Froehlich also ordered Taft to apologize to the people of Ohio as well as state workers.
Taft's conviction is grounds under the Ohio Constitution for impeachment and removal from office by the Ohio General Assembly; that did not happen, however, since both chambers of it are controlled by his fellow Republicans. Taft had stated that he would not resign from office. In late 2005, his approval ratings sank to just 6.5%, and according to pollster John Zogby, "I'm not aware of anyone who's ever sunk lower".<ref>[5]</ref>
As of November 2006, Republican candidate and current Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell has been defeated by Democratic now governor-elect Ted Strickland. (See: Ohio gubernatorial election, 2006) Due to term limits, Taft was ineligible to run for a third term.
[edit] Note on name
Bob Taft's father was a Robert and so was his grandfather. However, he is not Robert Taft III, because the names of all three men are not identical. The grandfather was Robert Alphonso Taft and the father was Robert Taft, no middle name. Bob Taft's full name is identical to the grandfather's but not the father's, so he is Robert Alphonso Taft II.
[edit] Notes
<references/>
[edit] External links
- Peace Corps biography of Bob Taft
- Official Website for Governor Bob Taft
- Taft's ethics inquiry will go to prosecutors (Toledo Blade article)
[edit] See also
| Preceded by: Sherrod Brown | Ohio Secretary of State 1991—1999 | Succeeded by: Ken Blackwell |
| Preceded by: Nancy Hollister | Governor of Ohio 1999 - 2007 | Succeeded by: Ted Strickland (Governor-Elect) |
| Governors of Ohio
<td style="vertical-align: middle; width: 1px" rowspan="2"> Image:Flag of Ohio.svg </td> |
|---|
| Tiffin • Kirker • Huntington • Meigs • Looker • Worthington • E. Brown • Trimble • Morrow • Trimble • McArthur • Lucas • Vance • Shannon • Corwin • Shannon • T. Bartley • M. Bartley • Bebb • Ford • Wood • Medill • Chase • Dennison • Tod • Brough • Anderson • J.D. Cox • Hayes • Noyes • Allen • Hayes • Young • Bishop • Foster • Hoadly • Foraker • Campbell • McKinley • Bushnell • Nash • Herrick • Pattison • Harris • Harmon • J.M. Cox • Willis • J.M. Cox • Davis • Donahey • Cooper • White • Davey • Bricker • Lausche • Herbert • Lausche • J. Brown • O'Neill • DiSalle • Rhodes • Gilligan • Rhodes • Celeste • Voinovich • Hollister • Taft |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Taft, Bob |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Taft, Robert Alphonso, II |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Ohio politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 8, 1942 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Boston, Massachusetts |
| DATE OF DEATH | living |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
Categories: Articles that include images for deletion | Articles that include fair use image replacement requests | Governors of Ohio | American political scandals | American criminals | American Methodists | Americans with Huguenot ancestry | Methodist politicians | Taft family | 1942 births | Living people
