PRESIDENT TAFT’S 1909 WHITE MODEL M STEAM CAR
I am sure the automobile coming in as a toy of the wealthier class is going to prove most useful of them all to all classes, rich and poor. —William Howard Taft
The American people elected William Howard Taft president in November of 1908, yet before he entered Washington for his inauguration four months later, he lobbied for a small fleet of cars for the White House. Taft’s desire to formally adopt the automobile came across as controversial. His predecessor—and later political rival—Theodore Roosevelt was no fan of cars and considered them dirty and noisy, as did many other people. Of course, Roosevelt, the former cavalry officer, was a noted horseman and favored travel by carriage, his loyalties firmly with the equine. But Taft, who served as Secretary of War under Roosevelt, would have none of it.
PRESIDENT TAFT’S 1909 WHITE MODEL M STEAM CAR
Related – Steam Rally at Picket Piece Hampshire
