Rub a Dub Dub, President in a Tub by Cindy Regnier

 William Howard Taft served as president of the United States from 1909-1913. He did many noteworthy things in his presidency including “trust-busting,” initiating some 80 antitrust suits against large industrial combinations, empowering the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) to set railroad rates, and supporting constitutional amendments mandating a federal income tax (now you know who to blame for April 15th woes) and the direct election of senators by the people (as opposed to appointment by state legislatures). After his presidency he was appointed as chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1921 to 1930 becoming the only man in history to hold the highest post in both the executive and judicial branches of the U.S. government. And as a note for sports fans, Taft was the first president to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Major League Baseball game.

Despite all that, Taft is remembered not for his contributions to history but for his, um, ‘corpulence.’ Simply put, he was quite overweight. He is said to have weighed about 350 pounds during his presidency. And that problem he fought all of his life became the basis of a widespread rumor that holds no truth, but is still told as if it really happened.

So, here’s the rumor. While bathing in the White House one evening, Mr. Taft got stuck and was unable to remove himself from the tub. As the story goes, it took 4 men to pry him loose and get him out, that and a gallon of butter used as a lubricant. Yes, it’s a funny story, but it didn’t happen. If you’ve ever heard this rumor told about Mr. Taft, make a note to yourself: Not True!

And, the rest of the story, the true part? It may be even better than the rumor. Just weeks after his election, the captain of a warship requested an oversized tub for the ship that was to carry the president-elect on a mission to inspect the Panama Canal. Unfortunately, such a tub could not be found so one was custom made. It is said to have been over seven feet long, more than 41 inches wide and weighed nearly a ton. A photograph in the February 1909 showed the huge presidential bathtub with four men sitting comfortably inside.

Newspapers even reported on this fascinating subject. It seems that similarly huge tubs were ordered and installed in the White House, on the presidential yacht and inside Taft’s brother’s home in Texas. How embarrassing would it be to have your bathing habits printed in the newspaper? But it got even worse.

 After Taft left the White House at the end of his presidency, he stayed in a hotel in Cape May, New Jersey. Without access to his specially made tubs, he squeezed into the hotel tub, thereby displacing so much of the water filling it that it spilled over and flooded the floor. The flood leaked through and rained down on the guests in the downstairs dining room. The newspapers reported that as Taft gazed at the Atlantic Ocean the next day, he wistfully commented, “I’ll get a piece of that fenced in some day, and then when I venture in, there won’t be any overflow.”

Now you know the real story, and as a writer I can tell you that truth is often stranger (and funnier) than fiction. What do you think? Was Taft the victim of a make-believe scandal told to damage his political career or prestige as a Supreme Court justice? Or did he just prefer the “stuck” story to that of the very embarrassing public shower he provided to hotel guests?

Scribbling in notebooks has been a habit of Cindy Regnier since she was old enough to hold a pencil. Born and raised in Kansas, she writes stories of historical Kansas, especially the Flint Hills area where she spent much of her childhood. Her experiences with the Flint Hills setting, her natural love for history, farming and animals, along with her interest in genealogical research give her the background and passion to write heart-fluttering historical romance..