President William H. Taft On His Loss in the 1912 Presidential Election: “Defeat did not greatly disappoint me”

The 1912 presidential election took place on November 5, 1912. Democratic Governor Woodrow Wilson unseated incumbent Republican President Taft, while also defeating former President Theodore Roosevelt who ran under the banner of the new Progressive Party. By late November 1912, Taft was wrapping up his presidency. Taft was prepared for the loss, and his attitude towards leaving the White House was not bitterness, but resignation.

William H. Hunt had been nominated by President William H. Taft on December 12, 1910, to the United States Court of Appeals and Circuit Court for the Ninth Circuit. He was confirmed by the Senate on January 31, 1911, and received his commission on February 8, 1911.

Hunt sent Taft a condolence letter on his loss, and this is Taft’s response. Typed letter signed, on White House letterhead, Washington, November 27, 1912, to Justice Hunt, who he addresses as “My dear Bill.” “Mr. Hilles has just handed me your kind letter of the 26th instant. I am glad to know that you were able to get some comfort out of my ‘swan song,’ although I regret to learn that the decision in favor of the other fellow was the means of causing you to be in any degree crestfallen. I myself, while hopeful, was in condition of mind where the defeat did not greatly disappoint me.

“I am glad to know that your labors in the Second [Ninth] Circuit are so pleasant, but I look forward with delight in seeing you back in Washington. With warm thanks, my dear Judge, for the kind words to which you give expression…” The Hilles mentioned was likely Republican leader Charles D. Hilles.

A fascinating insight into Taft’s attitude towards his loss of the presidency.