The son of President William Howard Taft, Robert A. Taft was a conservative Republican leader from Ohio. He practiced law in Cincinnati following World War I, where he had worked on European relief programs. From 1921-1926 he served in the Ohio house of representatives and was a member of the state senate in 1931-1932. A vehement critic of Franklin D. Roosevelt and New Deal welfare legislation, Taft won election to the U.S. Senate in 1938. Re-elected in 1944 and 1950, he became known as "Mr. Republican." Taft argued against most forms of U.S. diplomatic involvement outside the Western Hemisphere. He was a leading opponent of U.S. intervention in World War II before the attack at Pearl Harbor. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 1940, 1948, and 1952. dick_sine@netstamps.com