William Howard Taft
From Mark Twain in the German Language Press
William Howard Taft was the 27th president of the United States, serving office from 1909 to 1913. He was born 15th Sep. 1857 and died 8th March 1930.
Mississippi river trip
President Taft set out on this trip on 25th October 1909 in St. Louis and arrived in Washington on 10th November. The voyage was a background for political discussions regarding the waterways of the states of Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio. Following his election, Taft had already allotted money to the improvements of water transportation and he had proposed to increase these funds again. Especially industrialised cities needed the improved infrastructure to flourish making the topic an essential political discussion among the citizens living close to the rivers (see Pringle, 1:466-467)