He was brought up of modest means and he was from midwest. You could hear it in Thomas A. Edison's speech as well. Not like the Roosevelts, upper-class snobs.
Hearing the voices and words of these presidents from long ago is remarkable. They were well-spoken, eloquent gentlemen. Indeed, it seems statecraft of those days had a sense of class and sense that modern politics lacks...
They were no less corrupt politicians, they were just much better at hiding their corruption than modern politicians are today. They were crooks, but they were gentlemen crooks. It is a sad commentary that today, with rare exceptions, the majority are just crooks. They have kept the corruption, but lost what made them human.
Interesting accent. Sounds like he gave speeches exactly as he spoke, rather than putting on an exaggerated transatlantic accent like many earlier presidents.
He was a mediocre president, but not in the traditional sense. He did a lot of good, but an almost equal amount of bad, and it averages out in the middle. As a person however, he is one of the best we've had. Very interesting figure to me.
The year 1912 was a terrible year for Taft. Not only was the political rivalries between him and his former ally Theodore Roosevelt tearing Taft and the Republican Party apart, but Taft had recently lost a good friend in the Titanic sinking, his advisor on all things military, Major Archibald “Archie” Butt. (Not a joke, that really was his name). Archie had served under both Taft and Roosevelt, and his death only for the briefest of time cause a “moment of silence” between them before the cruel beating of words continued. Taft was especially devastated by the news, as he had just sent Archie on a visit to the Pope and had he not done that, Archie might not have even been in Europe to sail on Titanic.
Yes, all you say is true. I live in a town where a bridge is named for the Major, and where Taft spoke upon its dedication. The bridge, simple yet elegant, still stands. I drive over it often, fully aware of its history & the fact I'm literally standing in the footsteps of Mr. Taft, who had many affectionate ties to my town, especially in relation to golf.
And then of course to add insult to injury, Woodrow Wilson wins the 1912 election… And May Archie Butt Rest In Peace… Another soul lost on the Titanic…
He DID get QUITE a consolation prize later from President Harding, when he was appointed US Supreme Court Chief Justice in 1921. History has said he was MUCH happier then, than when he was President.
For being pressured to being President, he doesn't sound bad at all. He sounded totally Presidential. Too bad he had to tolerate bullying and heavy criticism from his old friend TR.
Tyler Layne I think it was. I mean Teddy pretty much gave the Oval Office to William and when William started dismantling Teddy's economic and social policies, it pissed Teddy off and he split the Republican vote as he ran as a 3rd party after being rejected the Republican nomination. I think William did his best and TR couldn't see that. Really though, Taft was a weak president. He hated politics.
+DeciduousGaming The funny thing is that Taft didn't really dismantle TR's agenda. He busted just as many trusts, he continued environmentalist policies, and implemented more regulations on big business. Sure, he was still more conservative and weak (he delegated to has Cabinet a lot), but the fact of the matter is that he basically did everything Teddy wanted him to do, yet Teddy still viciously attacked him during his entire presidency. And then he screwed Taft over in his reelection bid!
@@Captain-Sum.Ting-Wong to be fair he didn't really want to be reelected. he should have dropped out and gave the nom to t.r. and wilson would have never become president
You wouldn't expect this sort of voice to come from an absolute unit of a man like he was, but it probably added to his friendly, approachable image - compare to McKinley!
I thought the same re: Taft's similar-sounding voice to Ike's. I believe Taft's is smoother & more mellifluous, though, whereas Ike's had a kind of staccato, jerky quality to it. Similar in tone, I'd say, but not delivery.
Incidentally, several of his descendants have also been politicians from Ohio. Most recently, his great-grandson was governor of that state through much of the millennial decade!
What’s interesting is that while he retained rhotic speaking, he also still followed the other public speaking tactics of the time…the sing-songy long vowel method. Still, he’s much more pleasant to listen to than FDR.
What exactly do you mean by this? Are you condemning him for not emphasising democracy, or praising him for speaking plainly and truthfully by giving a by the books definition.
I’m always amazed at how eloquent and educated people sounded in the past. If a politician spoke this way today most of it would go over people’s heads.
The story of how Taft and Roosevelt reconciled is so nice; Years after the 1912 election, Taft and Roosevelt bumped into each other in a hotel in DC and instead of insulting each other, they hugged and caught up on lost time
Growing up in Ohio myself you can hear it right away President Taft had the typical Midwestern tone that does away with the Alantic coast pronouncinations.
I have to agree with you. However, the guy is the most underrated president we have ever had! He was a force to be reckoned with as to antitrust lawsuits, of which he initiated twice as many as Roosevelt in basically half the time. He laid the groundwork for the strong American influence on Latin America, which FDR drove the point home. He fixed the problems with foster care, adoption and the like. I am pretty sure that the major impetus for the Clayton Antitrust Act came from Taft, not Wilson. And - cherry on top - judging by the most common audio clip of his voice, as to ideas on world peace, he was already in 2021 in the 1910s!
His delivery reminds me of Ronald Reagan's. Familiar and casual with a basically neutral American accent. He's talking about the issues in a plain-spoken way that anyone could understand, but he's not dumbing it down. I think I'm gonna check out some of his opinions from when he was on the Supreme Court.
Why can’t the current resident in the W. H. be this eloquent? The guy in there now can’t even string a decent sentence together without a teleprompter. God help us. He’s laughable.
Record cracks/scratches. Speeches were usually stored in very delicate wax cylinders or brittle shellac discs. Considering this is a 110 year-old recording, it seems that some flaws with this particular copy were too loud to clean from the digital restoration without losing some of the speech itself.
All presidents have had the ability to speak with class and rise to the occasion when needed. The only exceptions to this I would say were Pierce, Buchanan, and now Trump.
"With the uhhhhhh independence of the ummmmmmm judiciary, as uhhh nessisarry... To the ummm preservation of the uhhhhh liberties, which uhhh are the ummmmmm inheritance of... centuries."
+Evan Bernard Trump is likable to those that like him. It's not really up to you to determine who is likable and who isn't, it's up to each individual. But I agree with you that Trump is most certainly not well spoken. Probably the worst president we've ever had in that category.
He had a very modern sounding voice. No transatlantic or mid Atlantic inflections. Sounds like a voice you’d hear today.
He had a perfect voice to be a radio announcer imo
Sounds like he’s from Cincinnati.
@@jw870206 He WAS from Cincinnati.
He was brought up of modest means and he was from midwest. You could hear it in Thomas A. Edison's speech as well. Not like the Roosevelts, upper-class snobs.
Agreed.
Hearing the voices and words of these presidents from long ago is remarkable. They were well-spoken, eloquent gentlemen. Indeed, it seems statecraft of those days had a sense of class and sense that modern politics lacks...
Yes, we know that's the ONLY thing that matters, regardless of the period in question.
Morbius was being ironic, as you know.
I totally agree
They were no less corrupt politicians, they were just much better at hiding their corruption than modern politicians are today. They were crooks, but they were gentlemen crooks. It is a sad commentary that today, with rare exceptions, the majority are just crooks. They have kept the corruption, but lost what made them human.
C'mon, man!
Interesting accent. Sounds like he gave speeches exactly as he spoke, rather than putting on an exaggerated transatlantic accent like many earlier presidents.
Its actually an accent from areas of Ohio that originated the modern American accent.
Those were those earlier presidents real voices 😂
Those were their real accents & voices it’s just the instrument or recording device used to record their voices made them sound higher pitched & off.
Don't think the transatlantic accent existed yet 😂
I love Taft... He was pragmatic to perfection, and was a man of character... That, and he looks so huggable. Lol
One of the more underrated presidents no doubt.
He was a mediocre president, but not in the traditional sense. He did a lot of good, but an almost equal amount of bad, and it averages out in the middle. As a person however, he is one of the best we've had. Very interesting figure to me.
@LegoGuy87 Yep. Second only to John Marshall I'd say, in terms of influence on the judicial system.
and he had a very large bathtub fitted
@@jamesrice2510 Earl Warren?
Taft looks like the cool uncle who is always talking about amazing things at the family meetings
The year 1912 was a terrible year for Taft. Not only was the political rivalries between him and his former ally Theodore Roosevelt tearing Taft and the Republican Party apart, but Taft had recently lost a good friend in the Titanic sinking, his advisor on all things military, Major Archibald “Archie” Butt. (Not a joke, that really was his name). Archie had served under both Taft and Roosevelt, and his death only for the briefest of time cause a “moment of silence” between them before the cruel beating of words continued. Taft was especially devastated by the news, as he had just sent Archie on a visit to the Pope and had he not done that, Archie might not have even been in Europe to sail on Titanic.
Wow I feel so bad for him
I heard as well he cried someone about how helstbhis best friend, Theodore Roosevelt
Yes, all you say is true. I live in a town where a bridge is named for the Major, and where Taft spoke upon its dedication. The bridge, simple yet elegant, still stands. I drive over it often, fully aware of its history & the fact I'm literally standing in the footsteps of Mr. Taft, who had many affectionate ties to my town, especially in relation to golf.
And then of course to add insult to injury, Woodrow Wilson wins the 1912 election…
And May Archie Butt Rest In Peace… Another soul lost on the Titanic…
He DID get QUITE a consolation prize later from President Harding, when he was appointed US Supreme Court Chief Justice in 1921. History has said he was MUCH happier then, than when he was President.
He was the first president to ever meet a Mexican President.
@@night6724 Yes he was. Diaz was fortunately thrown out of power a decade later. Taft visited Mexico to try and make better relations with Mexico
Not if meeting in battle counts as meeting
For being pressured to being President, he doesn't sound bad at all. He sounded totally Presidential. Too bad he had to tolerate bullying and heavy criticism from his old friend TR.
Tyler Layne I think it was. I mean Teddy pretty much gave the Oval Office to William and when William started dismantling Teddy's economic and social policies, it pissed Teddy off and he split the Republican vote as he ran as a 3rd party after being rejected the Republican nomination. I think William did his best and TR couldn't see that. Really though, Taft was a weak president. He hated politics.
Tyler Layne Oh. Haha. Couldn't tell over text.
Yeah Taft never wanted to be president. Roosevelt announced that he wanted him as his successor before talking with him, and he felt obligated to run.
+DeciduousGaming The funny thing is that Taft didn't really dismantle TR's agenda. He busted just as many trusts, he continued environmentalist policies, and implemented more regulations on big business. Sure, he was still more conservative and weak (he delegated to has Cabinet a lot), but the fact of the matter is that he basically did everything Teddy wanted him to do, yet Teddy still viciously attacked him during his entire presidency. And then he screwed Taft over in his reelection bid!
@@Captain-Sum.Ting-Wong to be fair he didn't really want to be reelected. he should have dropped out and gave the nom to t.r. and wilson would have never become president
Taft's voice sounded more like what I imagined teddy Roosevelt's voice to sound like.
Right?
You wouldn't expect this sort of voice to come from an absolute unit of a man like he was, but it probably added to his friendly, approachable image - compare to McKinley!
McKinley sounded odd....NOTHING like he looks like he'd sound.
Sounds a lot like Eisenhower.
I can actually hear the similarities.
wow he sounds extremely similar
I thought the same re: Taft's similar-sounding voice to Ike's. I believe Taft's is smoother & more mellifluous, though, whereas Ike's had a kind of staccato, jerky quality to it. Similar in tone, I'd say, but not delivery.
He had a resonating voice. 😊
Happy Birthday William Howard Taft!
2 yars ago i hope you see thing XD
Fun fact: He's the only president to have a September birthday
@@gusbussolano03 That would change if Ron DeSantis ever became president.
More than 100 years later hearing him is astonishing
This is amazing. Thank you.
He looks so jolly and nice! He looks like that nice uncle who dresses up as Santa for the Christmas gathering.
Even if I didn't already know Taft was from Ohio, I could tell from his accent. He definitely sounds Midwestern.
Incidentally, several of his descendants have also been politicians from Ohio. Most recently, his great-grandson was governor of that state through much of the millennial decade!
I have tons of relatives from Ohio. Definitely hearing Ohio here (though a somewhat more patrician version)
I was half expecting him to have a Wilford Brimley like voice
Because of the mustache? Or did he have diabeetus?
@@andrewfutterman3346 The mustache
This is amazing. Thanks for uploading.
Amazing! I L O V E Howie Taft!
What’s interesting is that while he retained rhotic speaking, he also still followed the other public speaking tactics of the time…the sing-songy long vowel method. Still, he’s much more pleasant to listen to than FDR.
I think he was playing Space Invaders at the beginning.
Honored to have the name Taft associated.
Weird trivia item - between 1924 and 1929, this guy was the only former president left alive!
LOOK!!!! ITS ME!!!!!
“On a sound a permanent basis our popular constitutional representative form of government.”
He never once said “our democracy.”
What exactly do you mean by this? Are you condemning him for not emphasising democracy, or praising him for speaking plainly and truthfully by giving a by the books definition.
Good point!
I’m always amazed at how eloquent and educated people sounded in the past. If a politician spoke this way today most of it would go over people’s heads.
He sounds SO much like Eisenhower. I wonder if they're from the same region.
taft is from ohio
No, Taft was from Ohio and Eisenhower was from Kansas.
@@eunaekim9216 Eisenhower is originally from Texas.
This was not what I expected when I thought of Taft's voice.
The story of how Taft and Roosevelt reconciled is so nice; Years after the 1912 election, Taft and Roosevelt bumped into each other in a hotel in DC and instead of insulting each other, they hugged and caught up on lost time
"Silver and Gold, silver and Gold...."
Why did you write this?
President Taft had a very good and commanding voice. I would have voted for him.
His brilliance is clouded under a mundane speaking voice.
It’s truly amazing and horrifying in equal measure what a “Hollywood” voice can effect.
1:19 *"who are the people?"*
Growing up in Ohio myself you can hear it right away President Taft had the typical Midwestern tone that does away with the Alantic coast pronouncinations.
I think his voice was a major inspiration for John Henry Eden on fallout 3 now
This poor Head of State gets fat shamed by US history teachers.
I have to agree with you. However, the guy is the most underrated president we have ever had! He was a force to be reckoned with as to antitrust lawsuits, of which he initiated twice as many as Roosevelt in basically half the time. He laid the groundwork for the strong American influence on Latin America, which FDR drove the point home. He fixed the problems with foster care, adoption and the like. I am pretty sure that the major impetus for the Clayton Antitrust Act came from Taft, not Wilson. And - cherry on top - judging by the most common audio clip of his voice, as to ideas on world peace, he was already in 2021 in the 1910s!
Well, now that it's restored, it sounds like it came out straight of the 40s!
hello fellow tafters
His delivery reminds me of Ronald Reagan's. Familiar and casual with a basically neutral American accent. He's talking about the issues in a plain-spoken way that anyone could understand, but he's not dumbing it down. I think I'm gonna check out some of his opinions from when he was on the Supreme Court.
I love Taft he’s amazing I don’t know how you got the voice recorded
He sounds like a dad
Probably added to his friendly, approachable image - compare to, say, McKinley!
@@eunaekim9216 Both men were from the buckeye state!
1:19
Sick beat.
sick beat
I can do an impression his Voice
He looks very grand
His accent sounds no different from what you can find now in 2021 Ohio
Sounds like a much more sane Dr. Eggman
I hear he liked to take baths
Maybe that's what spawned that urban legend about that bathtub - that and the fact that he was an absolute unit!
How bout that rhotic midwestern flair
I can do a impression of William Taft
he sounds like dr eggman from sonic
Why can’t the current resident in the W. H. be this eloquent? The guy in there now can’t even string a decent sentence together without a teleprompter. God help us. He’s laughable.
Was someone bouncing a fucking basketball at the beginning, what the hell was that
Record cracks/scratches.
Speeches were usually stored in very delicate wax cylinders or brittle shellac discs.
Considering this is a 110 year-old recording, it seems that some flaws with this particular copy were too loud to clean from the digital restoration without losing some of the speech itself.
he sounds almost identical to Eisenhower
Sounds like president Eden from fallout.
Those damn bubbles of demagogy
taft has a speech thats amazing even though Theodore is a better president
I thought he would sound like Mr Herriman from Foster's
0:00-1:03
0:59 bro said “between the substances of Obama”💀💀
???? Was there audio in l912????
Are you kidding?
Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!
?
He spoke more against the British and Germans alike during ww1 than wilson did
How’s that bathtub treating you
Пончик ам ням ням ой я ванне застрял
pepeD
WW1:William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson
WW2: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Harry S Truman
WW3:???
WW1 was Wilson's war. Taft was out of office before it even got going.
PlushKingOfficial Donald John Trump, Mike Pence
@@thomascars1 peak comedy
@@hzq-yg8bj civil war 2, coming to a country near u, trump 2020 boys we gon win GOP
@@CARDAMELO funny shit man, ever thought about being a comedian?
You got your clothes at the used clothing store in Jersey you cheapskate! I know because I SOLD IT TO YOU!!!!!
Western voice
The beginning sounds like farts.
Obama the last president to speak with such class since Taft
All presidents have had the ability to speak with class and rise to the occasion when needed. The only exceptions to this I would say were Pierce, Buchanan, and now Trump.
Idiot. I feel sad that you actually believe that, you nitwit.
"With the uhhhhhh independence of the ummmmmmm judiciary, as uhhh nessisarry... To the ummm preservation of the uhhhhh liberties, which uhhh are the ummmmmm inheritance of... centuries."
Reagan and HW Busch had some nice class
Obama is trash. Washington, Jefferson, Jackson, Honest Abe, and Roosevelt would step on him.
Sounds just like Donald Trump.
taft is well spoken and likable. trump is neither of those
not an arguement. give me a legit point about trump being likable or well spoken
+Evan Bernard Trump is likable to those that like him. It's not really up to you to determine who is likable and who isn't, it's up to each individual. But I agree with you that Trump is most certainly not well spoken. Probably the worst president we've ever had in that category.
In a way, that's a good thing, but I wish Trump had the same genial, jovial charm Taft had.
@@Captain-Sum.Ting-Wong That title still belongs to FDR