Robert A. Taft

Robert Alphonso Taft Sr September 8 1889 July 31 1953 was an American politician lawyer and scion of the Republican Partys Taft family Taft represented Ohio in the United States Senate briefly served as Senate majority leader and was a leader of the conservative coalition of Republicans and conservative Democrats who blocked expansion of the New Deal Often referred to as Mr Republican he cosponsored the TaftHartley Act of 1947 which banned closed shops created the concept of righttowork states and regulated other labor practices The elder son of William Howard Taft the 27th president of the United States and 10th chief justice of the United States Robert Taft was born in Cincinnati Ohio He pursued a legal career in Cincinnati after graduating from Harvard Law School in 1913 With his brother Charles Phelps Taft II he cofounded the law partnership of Taft Stettinius Hollister Taft served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 1921 to 1931 and in the Ohio Senate from 1931 to 1933 Though he lost reelection in 1932 he remained a powerful force in state and local politics