Peter Rawson Taft
American politician
title: "Peter Rawson Taft" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1785-births", "1867-deaths", "taft-family", "people-from-uxbridge,-massachusetts", "politicians-from-worcester-county,-massachusetts", "politicians-from-cincinnati", "people-from-windham-county,-vermont", "members-of-the-vermont-house-of-representatives", "vermont-lawyers", "ohio-lawyers", "lawyers-from-cincinnati", "19th-century-american-lawyers", "19th-century-members-of-the-vermont-general-assembly"] description: "American politician" topic_path: "law" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Rawson_Taft" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary American politician ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Peter Rawson Taft |
| image | Peter Rawson Taft (Vermont and Ohio legislator and judge).jpg |
| caption | Portrait of Peter Rawson Taft |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Uxbridge, Massachusetts |
| death_date | |
| death_place | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| nationality | American |
| occupation | Politician |
| known_for | William Howard Taft's grandfather |
| spouse | Sylvia Howard |
| children | Alphonso Taft |
| parents | Aaron Taft |
| Rhoda Rawson | |
| relatives | Peter Taft (grandfather) |
| See Taft family | |
| :: |
| name = Peter Rawson Taft | image = Peter Rawson Taft (Vermont and Ohio legislator and judge).jpg | alt = | caption = Portrait of Peter Rawson Taft | birth_date = | birth_place = Uxbridge, Massachusetts | death_date = | death_place = Cincinnati, Ohio | nationality = American | other_names = | occupation = Politician | known_for = William Howard Taft's grandfather | spouse = Sylvia Howard | children = Alphonso Taft | parents = Aaron Taft Rhoda Rawson | relatives = Peter Taft (grandfather) See Taft family ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Aaron_Taft_House,_Uxbridge,_MA.jpg" caption="[[Aaron Taft House]] is where Peter Rawson Taft was born in 1785"] ::
Peter Rawson Taft (April 14, 1785 – January 1, 1867) was an American lawyer, judge, and legislator. His son Alphonso Taft served as the U.S. Secretary of War (1876), and U.S. Attorney General (1876–1877). Alphonso was the father and Peter was the grandfather of President William Howard Taft.
Early life and family
Peter Rawson Taft was born to Aaron Taft and Rhoda (née Rawson) Taft on April 14, 1785, at Uxbridge in Worcester County, Massachusetts.
Aaron Taft was educated at Princeton College. The Taft's lived at the Aaron Taft House in Uxbridge, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Aaron was a farmer. He took his family to Vermont in 1799, when Taft was 14 years of age. Taft was reared a farmer, with a common-school education. He enjoyed reading and was studious. Taft taught at local schools for five to six years and he worked as a surveyor for several years.
Taft descended from Robert Taft Sr. (1640–1725), the first Taft who immigrated to Colonial America. His mother was a descendant of Edward Rawson, who was the secretary of the Massachusetts Bay Colony from 1650 to 1681.
Marriage and child
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Sylvia_Howard_Taft_(LOC)_(cropped).jpg" caption="Sylvia Howard Taft, grandmother of President William Howard Taft"] ::
In 1810, Taft married Sylvia Howard of Townshend, Vermont, Windham County, Vermont. She was the daughter of Levi Howard and Bethiah Chapin of Vermont.
Their son was Alphonso Taft, born on November 5, 1810, at Townshend. Alphonso became the U.S. Secretary of War (1876), and U.S. Attorney General (1876–1877). Alphonso Taft co-founded Skull and Bones at Yale.
Lawyer and legislator
Taft who studied law by himself, became a successful lawyer and judge. He served many years in the Vermont House of Representatives, and was judge of the Probate and County Courts of Windham County, Vermont for eight years. Taft became Judge of the Court of Common Pleas and he was one of the Commissioners of the County. From 1835 to 1841, Taft said on the board of trustees for the Leland and Gray seminary, an organization that he helped establish. He was also the seminary's first president.
Ohio
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/Peter_and_Sylvia_Taft_Bedroom,_William_Howard_Taft_National_Historic_Site,_Mount_Auburn,_Cincinnati,OH(33154284258).jpg" caption="Mount Auburn]], Cincinnati, Ohio"] ::
Taft moved to Cincinnati, Ohio in 1841. He died there on January 1, 1867. Sylvia died within the year before Taft's death.
William Howard Taft (President of the United States) was Taft's grandson. The Taft family continued the tradition of returning to Uxbridge for family reunions. Descendants of Taft's great-grandfather Robert Taft include judges, lawyers, educators, legislators, and community leaders.
Notes
References
References
- (1916). "Vital records of Uxbridge, Massachusetts, to the year 1850". Wright & Potter Printing Company.
- {{NRISref. 2007a
- (February 22, 1867). "Death of a Venerable Citizen". The Vermont Record and Farmer.
- (1908-05-21). "The Elder Taft". Rutland Weekly Herald.
- Washburn, Mabel Thacher Rosemary. (1908). "Ancestry of William Howard Taft". Frank Allaben Genealogical Company.
- Bennett, Charles G.. (1976-11-24). "Presidential kin in lonely Woodford grave". Bennington Banner.
- (1912). "Pioneer Mothers of America". G. P. Putnam's Sons.
- (1909-05-02). "Inky: On GW and Taft at Skull and Bones". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
- Gullan, Harold I.. (2004). "First fathers : the men who inspired our Presidents". John Wiley & Sons.
- Knox, John B.. (1955-06-19). "Descendants Honor Memory of Taft Family's Founder". Sunday Times Signal.
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