William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States, serving from 1909 to 1913. He was a conservative Republican who supported business interests and believed in the power of the federal government to regulate commerce and protect the public welfare. Taft was a skilled jurist and served as a judge before becoming president, and he is known for his efforts to reform the civil service and the federal court system. Despite his accomplishments, Taft's presidency was marked by conflicts with his own party and he was eventually succeeded by his former friend and mentor, Theodore Roosevelt.