Although officials within the administration of President William H. Taft saw themselves as intervening to ensure good government, many Nicaraguans became increasingly alarmed at what seemed to be a foreign takeover of their political, banking, and railroad systems.
With Díaz safely in the presidency of the country, the United States proceeded to withdraw the majority of its forces from Nicaraguan territory, leaving one hundred Marines to "protect the American legation in Managua". The Knox-Castrillo Treaty of 1911, ratified in 1912, put the U.S. in charge of much of Nicaragua's financial system.
The United States had limited military presence in Nicaragua, having only one patrolling U.S. Navy ship off the coast of Bluefields, in order to protect the lives and interests of American citizens who lived there.
In 1909 Nicaraguan President José Santos Zelaya of the Liberal Party faced opposition from the Conservative Party, led by governor Juan José Estrada of Bluefields who received support from the U.S. government.
Thereafter, the Nicaraguan government agreed to a U.S. loan, a new constitution, the abolishment of monopolies, and conceded to the previous demands that the United States had placed on the new government in exchange for recognition.
Government intervened more directly in Nicaraguan affairs in two separate, but related, incidents in 1911 and 1912, with the objective of ensuring the rule of a government friendly to U.S. political and commercial interests and preserving political stability in Central America. Although officials within the administration of President William H. Taft saw themselves as intervening to ensure good government, many Nicaraguans became increasingly alarmed at what seemed to be a foreign takeover of their political, banking, and railroad systems.
In 1909, Nicaraguan involvement in the affairs of El Salvador and Costa Rica spurred Knox to seek a way to isolate Zelaya and possibly remove him from power. In the fall of 1909, a revolt broke out against Zelaya in Nicaragua, and Knox seized it as a chance to oust Zelaya.
However, the 1911 treaty was not ratified by the U.S. Senate as many Senators increasingly opposed the Taft Administration's connections with large corporations. In July 1912, D�az's political rival, the Minister of War, Luis Mena, began a revolt to seize power.
Sensing the need to further secure U.S. interests, Knox sent Thomas C. Dawson as a special agent to Nicaragua. Dawson had previously overseen U.S. intervention in the Dominican Republic.
U.S. Secretary of State Philander Knox had become increasingly concerned about the activities of Nicaraguan President Jos� Zelaya. Zelaya had come to power in a military coup in 1893. Shortly afterwards, Zelaya annexed the British colony of the Mosquito Coast.
Knox initially intended to remain neutral, but kept several navy ships stationed off Nicaragua's Caribbean coast. However, Thomas P. Moffatt, the U.S. consul at the Nicaraguan port of Bluefields provided more overt support to the rebellion in contravention to Knox's instructions.
The group he led was named “The Defending Army of National Sovereignty” and their motto was, “Motherland and Liberty.”.
The U.S. justified the intervention by claiming to protect U.S. lives and property. This intervention led to the end of Zelaya’s rule and the beginning of U.S. occupation. An invaluable, detailed description of the 1909 intervention and overthrow of Zelaya can be read online in “ The US-orchestrated overthrow of the Nicaraguan government, ...
In Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines, American “regime change” operations were part of a larger war. The overthrow of President Zelaya in Nicaragua was the first real American coup. Smedley Butler. Click for info about portrait.
After seeing a newspaper photo of Taft taking a large swing at a golf ball, Roosevelt warned him against candid shots. 1908 electoral vote results. Roosevelt, frustrated by his own relative inaction, showered Taft with advice, fearing that the electorate would not appreciate Taft's qualities, and that Bryan would win.
Taft hoped a Supreme Court appointment was in the works, but instead McKinley wanted to place Taft on the commission to organize a civilian government in the Philippines. The appointment would require Taft's resignation from the bench; the president assured him that if he fulfilled this task, McKinley would appoint him to the next vacancy on the high court. Taft accepted on condition he was made head of the commission, with responsibility for success or failure; McKinley agreed, and Taft sailed for the islands in April 1900.
He was elected a member of Skull and Bones, the Yale secret society co-founded by his father, one of three future presidents (with George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush) to be a member. In 1878, Taft graduated second in his class of 121. He attended Cincinnati Law School, and graduated with a Bachelor of Laws in 1880.
Early in Taft's term, in May 1909, his wife Nellie had a severe stroke that left her paralysed in one arm and one leg and deprived her of the power of speech. Taft spent several hours each day looking after her and teaching her to speak again, which took a year.
Taft is remembered as the heaviest president; he was 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall and his weight peaked at 335–340 pounds (152–154 kg) toward the end of his presidency, although this later decreased, and by 1929 he weighed just 244 pounds (111 kg). By the time Taft became chief justice, his health was starting to decline, and he carefully planned a fitness regimen, walking 3 miles (4.8 km) from his home to the Capitol each day. When he walked home after work, he would usually go by way of Connecticut Avenue and use a particular crossing over Rock Creek. After his death, the crossing was named the Taft Bridge.
He died at his home in Washington D.C. on March 8, 1930 at age 72. Taft lay in state at the United States Capitol rotunda.
Early life and education. Yale College photograph of Taft. William Howard Taft was born September 15, 1857, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Alphonso Taft and Louise Torrey. The Taft family was not wealthy, living in a modest home in the suburb of Mount Auburn.