Скачать или смотреть THE DEATH OF FIRST LADY HELEN HERRON TAFT (MAY 22, 1943)

After leaving the White House, the Tafts moved to New Haven, Connecticut, where Taft's husband held a chair at Yale University. Taft was unhappy with life outside of the White House, and she was often alone when her husband was traveling and her children were away at school. She was, however, happy to be out of the public eye. In 1914, Taft became the first first lady to publish a memoir with the publication of Recollections of Full Years, which had been written with her daughter Helen and journalist Eleanor Egan. She took an interest in the events of World War I, and during the war she provided support for the American Red Cross.

The Tafts continued to travel after retiring from the White House, visiting Bermuda, Panama, England, and Italy, being greeted in the latter two countries by King George V and the Pope, respectively. Continuing in her interest in politics, Taft joined the Colonial Dames of America in 1923 and became its honorary vice president in 1925.  She also served as the honorary leader of the Girl Scouts of the USA.

After her husband's death in March 1930, she lived with her housekeeper in Washington, D.C., occasionally traveling to other countries. She continued to follow politics later in life, opposing the New Deal policies that were implemented in the 1930s. Taft died in Washington on May 22, 1943, and was buried next to her husband at Arlington National Cemetery.

Helen Herron Taft's legacy in Washington, D.C., continues to this day, represented each spring with the blooming of the Japanese cherry trees that line the capital's tidal basin. They result form Mrs. Taft's campaign in 1909 for planting thousands of the young flowering trees that she recalled from her years in Asia while her husband was governor of the Philippines. And visitors to the Smithsonian museums see Mrs. Taft's influence in that institution's stunning collection of First Ladies' inaugural gowns, a collection that began with Mrs. Taft's own.

Taft was one of the earliest first ladies to become directly involved in the political career of her husband. Her influence in presidential politics was not given significant attention by historians after her death in 1943, and like other first ladies, her influence was not closely examined by historians until the 1980s. Before this, she was most well known for her introduction of cherry trees in the West Potomac Park. The first biography about Taft was written in 2005 by Carl Sferrazza Anthony, who argued that she was her husband's closest advisor and that she saw herself as responsible for the presidency as her husband. Her role as a mentor and guide to her husband was recognized by contemporary journalists and has since become a defining aspect of her legacy. She is recognized for her role in developing her husband's political career and bringing about the presidency of William Howard Taft.