Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 10.djvu/102

 TAFT

TAFT

the appointment of Governor Pitkin. lie built Tabor block and Tabor Granil Opera house in Denver, Col., in l!SSO and 1881. and gave to the city the site of the Federal building. He was married secN.ndly to Mrs. i:ii7.:i B. McCourt of Oshkosh, Wis. In IbU? Mr, Tabor lost his property, at one time estimated at S'30,000,000, tlirough unfortunate investments, and in 1898 he was apiwinted by President McKinley post- master of Denver, wiiere he died, April 10, 1899,

TAFT, Alphonso, diplomatist, was born in Towiishend, Windham county, Vt., Nov. 5, 1810; son of Peter Rawson and Sylvia (Hosvard) Taft, and a descendant of Edward Rawson, who came from England in 1636, and was for many years secretary of the Massachusetts province, Al- plionso Taft fitted himself mentally and finan- cially for college, by hard study and bj' teaching, and was graduated from Yale, A.B., 1833, A,M,, 1836, He taught in the Ellington high school, Conn,, 1833-35; studied law and was a tutor at Yale, 1835-37; was admitted to the New Haven b.vr, 1838, and settled in practice in Cincinnati, Oliio, 1839. where he was also active in promoting educational progress, and was for several years a member of the Union High school board. He was a delegate to the Republican national con- vention of 1856; was the defeated Republican representative from the first Ohio district, in the 35th congress; appointed judge of the superior court of Cincinnati, in 18G5, to fill the unexpired term of Judge George Hoadly, resigned, and served by re-election, from 1865 until 1872, when he re- newed the practice of law, in partnership with his sons. He was appointed secretary' of war by President Grant, in March, 1876, but in May fol- lowing, was made attorney-general, which office he retained until 1877, He was the unsuccessful candidate for U.S. senator in 1878, and for gover- nor of Oliio in 1877 and 1879, In April, 1882, he gave up his profession to become U,S, minister to Au.stria, and was transferred to Russia in 1884, serving until August, 1885, He was married, first, Aug, 29, 1841, to Fannie, daughter of Cliarles and Eliza (Houghton) Phelps of Town- sluMid, Yt,, who died in 1852, leaving two sons, Charles Phelps and Peter Rawson Taft, He was married, secondly, Dec, 26. 1853^ to Louise Maria, daughter of Samuel D, and Su.san H, (Waters) Torrey of Mill bury, Mass., and they had three son.s and one daugliter. Judge Taft received the honorarj' degree of LL.D. from Yale in 1867, and was a fellow of the college, 1882-92, as well as a charter trustee of the University of Cincinnati, He di.-d in San Diego. Cal., May 21, 1891,

TAFT, Charles Phelps, editor, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Dec, 21, 1843; eon of Judge Alphonso (q,v.) and Fannie (Phelps) Taft, He attended the common schools and Phillips acad-

which he consolidated

emy, Andover, Mass.; was graduated from Yale, A.B., 1864, A.M., 1867, from Columbia, LL.B,, 1866, and from the University of Heidelberg, Ger- many, J,U,D., 1867. He continued his studies at the College de France, Paris, 1868-69; subse- quently traveled in _ Europe and Great Britain, and practised law in Cincinnati, 1869-79. He was a representative in the state legislature, 1871, and was a candidate for representative in congress in 1872, He was married, Dec. 4, 1873, to Annie, daughter of David and Jane (Ellison) Sinton of Cincinnati, He became the pro- prietor of the Cin- cinnati Times in 1879, with the Star in 1880 as the Times-Star, and to the editing of which he gave his entire atten- tion. He was a Republican representative from , the first Ohio district in the 54th congress, 1895- 97; president of the board of sinking fund trus- tees of Cincinnati, and of the Cincinnati Press club,

TAFT, Lorado, sculptor, was born in Elm- wood, 111., April 29, 1860; son of Professor Don Carlos and Mary Lucy (Foster) Taft; grandson, of Zadock Lovell and Anna (Ramsdell) Taft and of Dr, Orrin and Cynthia (Haskins) Foster, and a descendant of Robert Taft of Mendon, Mass,; who was born in England or Scotland in 1640, came to this country in 1675, and died in 1725, He w.as graduated from the Illinois State uni- versity, 1879; continued art studies at the Ecole des Beaux Arts, Paris, 1880-83, receiving honor- able mention and subsequently first prize of the atelier; studied under Mercie and others, 1883- 85; was an insti'uctor in sculpture at the Chicago Art institute from 1886, and lecturer on art in the extension department of the University of Chicago from 1893, He was married, first, Oct. 4, 1890, to Carrie Louise, daughter of the Rev. William and Caroline (Chamberlain) Scales, who died in April, 1892; and secondly, Feb, 11, 1896, to Ada, daughter of the Rev, Leavitt and Emily (Scales) Bartlett of Boston, Mass. Mr. Taft was influential in promoting the Central Art associa- tion in 1894; a meml)er of the National Sculpture society, and of the Society of Western Artists. His figure work includes the decorations of the Horticultural building at the Chicago Columbian exposition, 1893, and those of the Winchester, Ind., soldiers' monument; four figures on the