William Howard Taft sworn in as chief justice a century ago, made mark in Pittsburgh

One hundred years ago Wednesday, William Howard Taft, the 27th president of the United States, made history. On June 30, 1921, Taft was sworn in as chief justice of the United States, making him the first and only U.S. president to also serve as chief justice of the Supreme Court.

But that’s only one of many firsts Taft achieved, and a few of them happened in Pittsburgh.

Taft visited the Steel City on several occasions as president, most notably in the spring of 1909, when he spoke at Rodef Shalom in Shadyside during the regular Shabbat service. Taft became the first sitting president to speak during a Jewish service.

Later that day, Taft decided to alter his schedule so he could attend the Pirates game against the Chicago Cubs at old Exposition Park on the North Side, making him the first sitting president to attend a big league baseball game outside Washington, D.C.

Taft visited Pittsburgh again in 1910 and 1911, when he attended the first national mine safety demonstrations at Forbes Field.

During one of his trips to Pittsburgh, Taft stopped and gave a speech at the train station in Tarentum. It now houses JG’s Tarentum Station Grille.

Outside of Pittsburgh, Taft accomplished many other firsts. He was the first president to occupy the Oval Office, which became operational in 1909, the first year of his term. He also was the first president to have his own car, the first to throw out the ceremonial first pitch of a baseball game and the last president to have a mustache or facial hair of any kind.

Taft also was well known for having a record-setting appetite. By the end of his first year in office, he weighed nearly 350 pounds. A typical Taft breakfast included grapefruit, partridge (both potted and grilled), venison, waffles, hominy, rolls, bacon, steak, oranges and huge amounts of coffee.

He never settled for fewer than two kinds of meat at any given meal. Lunch and dinner often included, in no particular order: lamb chops, smelt, lobster stew or lobster a la Newburg, salmon cutlets, tenderloin, cold tongue and ham, baked possum, terrapin soup and salad.

There is the legendary tale about Taft getting stuck in the White House bathtub, freed only after staffers used butter to dislodge him.

Taft ate as only a president could, and losing the election in 1912 probably turned out to be a blessing for him. For one thing, he was eating himself into an early grave, perhaps because he never really wanted to be president. Some accounts have him being pressured into it by Teddy Roosevelt, for whom he served as secretary of war.

Less than a year after leaving the White House, Taft, who suffered from sleep deprivation because of apnea, decided to get healthy. Through diet and exercise, he dropped 80 pounds.

Meanwhile, Taft pursued his true passion — the law — which interested him much more than politics.

And by 1921, he finally got the job he really wanted when President Warren G. Harding appointed him chief justice.