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This article is about the governor of Ohio from 1999 to 2007. For his father, a U.S. senator in the early 1970s, see Robert Taft Jr.. For his grandfather, a U.S. senator from 1939 to 1953, see Robert Taft.
Robert Alphonso "Bob" Taft II (born January 8, 1942) is an American Republican politician. He was elected to two terms of office as the Governor of the U.S. state of Ohio between 1999-2007. After leaving office, Taft started working for the University of Dayton beginning August 15, 2007.[1]
[edit] Personal backgroundAlthough 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 The Taft School. He attended Yale University, where he was a member of the Yale Political Union, 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. [edit] Political careerTaft was elected as a Republican to the Ohio House of Representatives from 1976 to 1981, and then was Hamilton County commissioner from 1981 to 1990. He ran for Lieutenant Governor of Ohio on the ticket with Jim Rhodes in 1986, but was unsuccessful. In 1990, he was elected as the Ohio 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. In 1999, Taft issued a gubernatorial executive order mandating four hours of ethics training for members of his cabinet, assistant cabinet directors, and senior staff every two years. In the wake of convictions for the ethics violations (see criminal conviction section below), Taft's approval rating bottomed out at 6.5 percent, according to a late November 2005 poll by Zogby, giving him quite possibly the lowest polled approval rating ever by a United States politician.[2] A SurveyUSA poll that same month gave Taft a rating of 18 percent. A late-2005 article in Time named him as one of the three worst governors in the country.[3] In February 2006 Taft vetoed legislation passed by both houses of the Ohio General Assembly removing the 'Plain Sight' provision from the state's concealed carry law. The bill would have also kept the Cleveland Plain Dealer from publishing the names and home addresses of licensees.[4] Nevertheless, this provision passed into law when the General Assembly overrode his veto, the first veto override in Ohio in over 30 years.[5] Taft was criticised during his tenure for permitting state spending and state taxes to rise.[6] Critics also link Taft to the lagging Ohio economy in the early 21st century. [7] Taft presided over reintroduction of use of the Capital punishment in Ohio. During his term 24 people were put to death by lethal injection, which made Ohio a first state outside the South by number of performed executions. Taft, however, granted one commutation[8]. Due to term limits for the Ohio governorship, Taft was ineligible to run for a third consecutive term. According to the Washington Post, Taft was the most unpopular Governor in Ohio history.[citation needed] Taft's unpopularity contributed to major Democratic gains in the 2006 election, including the defeat of Republican Ken Blackwell by Democrat Ted Strickland in the race to replace Taft as Governor. [edit] Criminal convictionOn 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:[9]
This was the first time an Ohio governor has ever been charged with a crime while in office.[10] 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 employees.[11] At the time, Taft said he was "very disappointed" in himself.[12] Taft's conviction was grounds under the Ohio Constitution for impeachment and removal from office by the Ohio General Assembly; however, impeachment proceedings did not occur and Taft remained in office until the end of his second term. In addition to the criminal sanctions, Taft was issued a public reprimanded by the Ohio Supreme Court on December 27, 2006 for accepting and failing to report gifts and golf outings worth more than $6000.00.[13] This reprimand will be attached to Taft's license to practice law in Ohio.[14] [edit] Post Gubernatorial activitiesAfter Taft left the governorship, he and his wife made a trip to Tanzania in February 2007 where he had served as a Peace Corps volunteer. Taft said the trip was invigorating and that the buildings where he taught and lived 40 years ago were still there.[15] Taft joined the University of Dayton in August 2007 as a distinguished research associate for educational excellence. His job is to help the university launch the Center for Educational Excellence, which encourages students to study science, technology, engineering and math. "We've got to figure out how to get more students in college, and that's a challenge that I really look forward to."[1] [edit] FamilyThe 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 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] Notes
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