President william howard taft bathtub

On March 8, 1930, William Howard Taft, the 27th President of the United States, died at age 72.

President william howard taft bathtub

And before you ask the question: no, he did not die by getting stuck in a bathtub.

In fact, despite what – full disclosure – my first thought was when I realized today is the 94th anniversary of his passing, not only did Taft not die in a bathtub… The whole “Taft got stuck in a bathtub” thing isn’t true at all.

What’s the story about Taft and the bathtub?

President Taft was a big man.

Towards the end of his Presidency, he was 5’11” tall, and between 335 and 340 pounds. His weight fluctuated over the years, and after leaving office he went on a health regimen that reduced his weight considerably. But his reputation as one of, if not the, heaviest President remains to this day.

As the story goes, Taft was so big, one time he got stuck in the bathtub in the White House, and it took six strong men to pull him out.

That story, in fact, comes from former White House butler Irwin Hoover