although most scrawlers a great taft as an average president -- most scholars rate taft an average president he haa -- his vision and leadership and planning the house for the beloved court are unparalleled. he was an unhappy chief executive, having been persuaded to run for president by theodore roosevelt, who launched a third- party candidacy against him in 1912. it allowed woodrow wilson to win the presidency. as the court's sole former president to have served on the bench, he is the only person ever to have engineered his own future appointment from the white house. biographers suggesttthat president taft promoted white to the chief opposition rather than juice because the white was only 48 in would probably serve long enough to preclude a future president from appointing taft as a chief justice. president warren harding fulfilled taft highest aspiration to become chief justice. chief justice taft began participating in every presidential decision to fill vacancies on this court. he wrote to george sutherland, i look forward to having you on i know the president intendd to put you there

gilbert was the first choice that taft had in mind. he was one of the est known architects of his time. architect and employer. their idea was to have a building that would comport to jefferson's concepts and would look right next to the capitol building but still stand on its own. the appropriation that taft asked for was less than $10 million.+ during the great depression, they were able to build the building and furnishing it still give up $100,000 back to the treasury. they came in under budget. it may be the only government under budget. >> and gilbert had done such a great job. they felt the capital should be moved so people could have a better view of the court. i'd think he did create a beautiful building. there is no way the capital is going to be moved to provide a better view.3 classicism. he was very serious in his intention to create a symbolic house for the third branch of the government. it expresses the seriousness of what we were doing, the authority with which the third the authority to work or what is right. >> the s

. >> taft believed that they needed a builddng of his own. he believed that as president and when he became chief justice it became almost an obsession. >> there was some opposition in congress, but ultimately taft became the chairman of the committee that was going to build the building. >> tass gilbert was one of the best-known a. techs of his time, so it was the perfect match of a. tech and employer -- architect and employer. >> their idea was to have a building that would com important to jennnfer -- would comport to jefferson's complex. the task was less than $10 million. during the national depression there was actually a deflation so they were able to build the building and furnish it and still turn money back to the treasury of the united states. so it came in under budget. maybe the only governmmnt building in history that came in under budget. . and an authority, really, to work for what is right. >> supreme court justices are not shy, and some of the justices felt that the new building was too grand, was too grandiose. chief justic

davis declined, so taft turned to butler. taft deferred to brandeis and oliver wendell holmes jr.. tapped appreciated butler's a nominal democratic party label. it was top-heavy with several republicans. he worked to block the nomination of another justice. he thought they would form a radical trio. after butler successful plummet, taft wrote to the chief, i congratulate you on the president's selection of cit -- president selection of butler. although the chief treated a nominee's religion as an irrelevancy, which chief justice white's death, no catholic would harding's fourth and last nomination to the court, edward sanford, attracted tafts consent of the stanford was not his firsttchoice. in 1925, however, the big chief enthusiastically recommended harlan stone. when he stepped off the court as he neared his 91st birthday in 1932, just distend suggested benjamin cardozo to her liver. cardoso had been called the outstanding justice of his time. not a justice himself, a felony yorker offer to resign from the court -- a fellow new yorker offered to resign from the court. stone's of

again. -- youe the only describe the taft memorial on the capital.why does that -- why is that there, and could that happen today? >> well, taft was -- he was a powerful force in the senate. he was a great leader of his party. he came here being president -- at least he sought to get the nomination. he was in a very-he was a very influential senator. he was chosen by a committee of senators as one of the all-time five great senators, and those five senators -- their pictures are in the medallions in the reception room just off the senate floor. >> what did his colleagues think were so great about him -- was so great about him? >> there are things that i have outlined. he was a very influential senator. >> was he a good orator? >> no, he was not an excellent orator, but he was a powerful force. >> was he ough? >> he was tough. many people thought he was arrogant. he was area dite -- he was area diet. he was effective as a leader? he was a statement. >> this picture? >> that is a picture of mccarthy, senator mccarthy and senator tidings. >> whose son,