TYPED LETTER SIGNED by the former President of the United States WILLIAM H. TAFT supporting the formation of the Atlanta Peace Society in the early days of the First World War. Taft, William Howard (1857-1930). President of the United States and subsequently Chief Justice of the United States. Americana

New Haven, Connecticut, December 13, 1914., 1914. Very good. - Over 70 words typed on his personal 9-1/8 inch high by 7 inch wide embossed stationery. Only a year out of office, the former president writes in support of the prominent Georgia attorney George T. Northen's effort to organize a Peace Society in the early days of WWI, "I have your letter . and note that your are organizing the Atlanta Peace Society. I sincerely hope that you may make this an effective organization." Taft, who would go on to set up The League to Enforce Peace, expounds on his ideas "I believe that at the close of the present war a movement for the establishment of an arbitral court will have more support than ever before, and such Associations as yours can promote an organized movement for this purpose." Signed "Wm. H. Taft". Folded for mailing with minor creasing to the edges, else near fine. Secretary of War under Theodore Roosevelt and subsequently elected the 27th President of the United States William H. Taft (1857-1930) contemplated returning to practice law after leaving office. However, he foresaw a conflict of interest as he'd appointed so many federal judges, including many Supreme Court justices. He jumped at the offer from Yale Law School, which would appoint him as Kent Professor of Law and Legal History. While there, he prepared lectures on "Questions of Modern Government" and wrote several articles and treatises including "Our Chief Magistrate and His Powers". Following the outbreak of the First World War, Taft hoped to prevent war through an international association of nations, and assumed the presidency of The League to Enforce Peace in 1915, advocating for the creation of a League of Nations and world court. He would subsequently serve as the tenth Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.