Kingsley A. Taft
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Kingsley Arter Taft (July 19, 1903 – March 28, 1970) was an American politician of Ohio's Republican Taft family who served briefly as a United States Senator.
Taft was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He graduated from high school there and received a bachelor's degree from Amherst College in 1925. He received a law degree from Harvard University in 1928. Taft then practiced as a lawyer in Ohio.
Taft served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 1933 to 1934 and then in 1940, he was elected to the Shaker Heights, Ohio, board of education on which he served until 1942, the last year as president. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II, eventually rising to the rank of Major.
In 1946, when U.S. Sen. Harold H. Burton (R-Ohio) resigned in order to accept an appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court, the vacancy was filled by a special election. In that election Taft ran and defeated Democrat Henry P. Webber. Taft served out Burton's term, which expired in 1947, but Taft did not stand for election to the full term.
In 1948, he was elected to a judgeship on the Ohio Supreme Court, defeating Democrat Robert M. Sohngen. In 1954, he was re-elected to the position without opposition. In 1960, Taft defeated Joseph H. Ellison for a third term on the Supreme Court. He was re-elected again in 1962, defeating Carl V. Weygandt. In 1968, Taft was elected Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, defeating Democrat John C. Duffy. Taft died in office in 1970.
Taft was buried at Lakeview Cemetery, Cleveland, Ohio.
| Preceded by: James W. Huffman | U.S. Senators from Ohio | Succeeded by: John W. Bricker |