The 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.