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Peter Rawson Taft
Portrait of Peter Rawson Taft
Born	(1785-04-14)April 14, 1785 Uxbridge, Massachusetts
Died	January 1, 1867(1867-01-01) (aged 81) Cincinnati, Ohio
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician
Known for	William Howard Taft's grandfather
Spouse	Sylvia Howard
Children	Alphonso Taft
Parent(s)	Aaron Taft Rhoda Rawson
Relatives	Peter Taft (grandfather) See Taft family

Peter Rawson Taft (April 14, 1785 – January 1, 1867) was an American lawyer, judge, and legislator. His son Alphonso Taft served as the U.S. Secretary of War (1876), and U.S. Attorney General (1876–1877). Alphonso was the father and Peter was the grandfather of President William Howard Taft.

Early life and family

Peter Rawson Taft was born to Aaron Taft and Rhoda (née Rawson) Taft on April 14, 1785, at Uxbridge in Worcester County, Massachusetts.

Aaron Taft was educated at Princeton College. The Taft's lived at the Aaron Taft House in Uxbridge, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Aaron was a farmer. He took his family to Vermont in 1799, when Taft was 14 years of age. Taft was reared a farmer, with a common-school education. He enjoyed reading and was studious. Taft taught at local schools for five to six years and he worked as a surveyor for several years.

Taft descended from Robert Taft Sr. (1640-1725), the first Taft who immigrated to Colonial America. His mother was a descendant of Edward Rawson, who was the secretary of the Massachusetts Bay Colony from 1650 to 1681.

Marriage and child

In 1810, Taft married Sylvia Howard of Townshend, Vermont, Windham County, Vermont. She was the daughter of Levi Howard and Bethiah Chapin of Vermont.

Their son was Alphonso Taft, born on November 5, 1810, at Townshend. Alphonso became the U.S. Secretary of War (1876), and U.S. Attorney General (1876–1877). Alphonso Taft co-founded Skull and Bones at Yale.

Lawyer and legislator

Taft who studied law by himself, became a successful lawyer and judge. He served many years in the Vermont House of Representatives, and was judge of the Probate and County Courts of Windham County, Vermont for eight years. Taft became Judge of the Court of Common Pleas and he was one of the Commissioners of the County. From 1835 to 1841, Taft said on the board of trustees for the Leland and Gray seminary, an organization that he helped establish. He was also the seminary's first president.

Ohio

Taft moved to Cincinnati, Ohio in 1841. He died there on January 1, 1867. Sylvia died within the year before Taft's death.

William Howard Taft (President of the United States) was Taft's grandson. The Taft family continued the tradition of returning to Uxbridge for family reunions. Descendants of Taft's great-grandfather Robert Taft include judges, lawyers, educators, legislators, and community leaders.

Notes

1. Taft's grandfather was also Peter Taft, and his grandfather was Robert Taft Sr. (1640-1725), the first Taft who immigrated to Colonial America and settled at Mendon and Uxbridge, Massachusetts. Peter Rawson Taft was then the 5th generation descendant of Robert Taft Sr. Uxbridge and Mendon were the birthplace of the famous American Taft family.

References

1. Baldwin, Thomas W. (Thomas Williams) (1916). Vital records of Uxbridge, Massachusetts, to the year 1850. Boston, Massachusetts: Wright & Potter Printing Company. p. 159, 312.
2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
3. ^ Washburn, Mabel Thacher Rosemary (1908). Ancestry of William Howard Taft. New York: Frank Allaben Genealogical Company. p. 17.
4. ^ "Death of a Venerable Citizen". The Vermont Record and Farmer. February 22, 1867. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-04-11 – via Newspapers.com.
5. ^ "The Elder Taft". Rutland Weekly Herald. 1908-05-21. p. 4. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
6. Bennett, Charles G. (1976-11-24). "Presidential kin in lonely Woodford grave". Bennington Banner. p. 4. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
7. Green, Harry Clinton; Green, Mary Wolcott (1912). Pioneer Mothers of America. G. P. Putnam's Sons. p. 452.
8. "Inky: On GW and Taft at Skull and Bones". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 1909-05-02. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
9. Gullan, Harold I. (2004). First fathers : the men who inspired our Presidents. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. p. 152. ISBN 978-0-471-46597-3.
10. ^ Knox, John B. (1955-06-19). "Descendants Honor Memory of Taft Family's Founder". Sunday Times Signal. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-04-11.

• 1785 births
• 1867 deaths
• Taft family
• People from Uxbridge, Massachusetts
• Politicians from Cincinnati
• People from Windham County, Vermont
• Members of the Vermont House of Representatives
• Vermont lawyers
• Ohio lawyers
• Lawyers from Cincinnati
• 19th-century American lawyers
• 19th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly