Taft, William Howard, Twenty-seventh President

Typed letter signed ("Wm H Taft"), 1 page (9 3/8 x 7 1/8 in.; 238 x 180 mm), Washington, 15 March 1919, to Julius D. Dreher, consul general to Panama, expressing his affection for Theodore Roosevelt. 

Typed letter signed ("Wm H Taft"), 1 page (9 3/8 x 7 1/8 in.; 238 x 180 mm), Washington, 15 March 1919, to Julius D. Dreher, consul general to Panama, expressing his affection for Theodore Roosevelt.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

"I look back with great satisfaction on having come into friendly relations again with Mr. Roosevelt, for whom, in spite of all our unfortunate differences, I have ever had a lingering affection and great admiration."

William Howard Taft (1857-1930) was Roosevelt's protégé, sharing many of the same goals but with a more cautious approach to governance.  Appointing him Secretary of War in 1907, Roosevelt decided that Taft should succeed him on the Republican ticket. Taft's own presidency (1909-1913) was characterized by trust-busting, strengthening the Interstate Commerce Commission, expanding the civil service, establishing a better postal system, and promoting world peace. In 1910, Roosevelt broke with his friend, but lost the Republican nomination to Taft and ran in the 1912 election on his own one-time Bull Moose ticket. Roosevelt beat Taft in the popular vote and pulled so many Progressives out of the Republican Party that Democrat Woodrow Wilson won in 1912, and the conservative faction took control of the Republican Party for the next two decades.