Helen Herron Taft
| Helen Herron Taft | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| First Lady of the United States | |
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In role March 4, 1909 – March 4, 1913 |
|
| President | William Taft |
| Preceded by | Edith Roosevelt |
| Succeeded by | Ellen Wilson |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Helen Louise Herron June 2, 1861 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | May 22, 1943 (aged 81) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Spouse(s) | William Taft (1886–1930) |
| Children |
Robert Helen Charles |
| Alma mater | University of Cincinnati |
| Signature |  |
Helen Louise Herron "Nellie" Taft (June 2, 1861 – May 22, 1943) was the wife of William Howard Taft and First Lady of the United States from 1909 to 1913.
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Nellie was the fourth of eleven children of Judge John Williamson Herron (1827–1912), a college classmate with Benjamin Harrison and a law partner of Rutherford B. Hayes. Her mother, Harriet Collins Herron (1833–1902), was the daughter and the sister of U.S. congressmen; Nellie's grandfather, Ela Collins, and uncle, William Collins, were both members of Congress. During her childhood she was called Nelli rather than Helen; she was referred to as such in the family since her only daughter was named Helene. Nellie Herron was enrolled in private Miss Nourse School, known in Cincinnati as The Nursery, in 1866-1879, and took classes from the University of Cincinnati. Starting from 1882, she taught in different schools until her marriage. In 1877, she attended with her parents the twenty-fifth wedding anniversary celebration of President and Mrs. Rutherford B. Hayes and stayed for a week at the White House.
In 1879, she met William Howard Taft at a bobsledding party in Cincinnati; he was 22 years old, she was 18. He asked her out for the first time in February 1880, but they did not go out regularly until 1882. He proposed in April 1885, and she accepted in May.
Taft married Nellie on June 19, 1886, at the home of the bride's parents in Cincinnati. The wedding was performed by the Reverend D.N.A. Hoge of Zanesville, Ohio. Taft's younger brother Horace Taft was best man. The couple honeymooned one day in New York City and four days at Sea Bright, New Jersey, before setting off on a three-month tour of Europe.
On their return, they settled in Cincinnati. Nellie Taft encouraged her husband's political career despite his often-stated preference for the judiciary. However, she welcomed each step in his judicial career: state judge, Solicitor General of the United States, and federal circuit court judge. In 1900, Taft agreed to take charge of American civil government in the Philippines as Governor-General (1900-1903). Nellie Taft moved with their children to Manila where she tried to reconcile with the local population by showing respect to the culture of the Philippines by learning the language, wearing a native Filipino costume and inviting Filipinos to social events. Further travel with her husband, who became Secretary of War in 1904, brought a widened interest in world politics and a cosmopolitan circle of friends.
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