When we talk about the fattest president of the United States, one name usually hits the table before the conversation even really starts. William Howard Taft. Most of us grew up hearing that one specific, kinda humiliating story: the guy got stuck in a White House bathtub and needed a fleet of workers to pry him out with butter or something.
But honestly? That story is mostly nonsense.
Yes, Taft was a big man. A very big man. At his heaviest, he tipped the scales at roughly 340 to 350 pounds. On a 5-foot-11 frame, that’s a lot of president to manage. But the real story isn't just about a scale or a bathtub; it's about a man who fought a losing battle with his own biology while trying to run a country. It’s about a "heavyweight" politician who was actually a pretty sophisticated dieter way before Keto or Paleo were even things.
The Myth of the Stuck President
Let's address the elephant in the room—or rather, the President in the tub. The legend says Taft got stuck and they had to install a new, massive tub.
The second part is true. The first part? Not so much. There is zero actual evidence from the time that Taft ever got stuck in a bathtub. The story didn't even really start circulating until about two decades after he left office.
What is true is that Taft knew he was huge. He didn't want to get stuck. So, he had a custom-built, seven-foot-long solid porcelain tub installed on the USS North Carolina before a trip to Panama. This thing was a beast—it weighed a literal ton and was wide enough for four average-sized men to sit in it at once.
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Basically, Taft was proactive. He wasn't some bumbling guy who didn't realize he was large; he was someone who lived his life constantly accounting for his size.
Just How Big Was He?
To understand why Taft is the undisputed titleholder of the fattest president of the United States, you have to look at the numbers.
- College weight: 243 pounds (he was a wrestler, actually pretty fit).
- Inauguration weight: Around 354 pounds.
- Body Mass Index (BMI): Approximately 42.3.
By modern medical standards, Taft wasn't just "overweight." He was morbidly obese. But he wasn't alone in the "Big President" club. Grover Cleveland, who people nicknamed "Uncle Jumbo," was the runner-up, weighing in around 280 pounds. Teddy Roosevelt was no tiny guy either, though his was a mix of muscle and "prosperous" padding.
The "Taft Diet" was Ahead of Its Time
Taft hated being fat. Seriously. He once said, "No real gentleman weighs more than 300 pounds."
He spent years writing back and forth with an English doctor named Nathaniel Yorke-Davies. This was basically "Weight Watchers" via trans-Atlantic mail. The doctor put him on a plan that looks shockingly like a modern low-carb diet.
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- No more: Potatoes, bread, pork, or fatty meats.
- A lot of: Grilled lean meats, green vegetables, and gluten biscuits.
- The Routine: He had to sip hot water with lemon every morning at 8 a.m.
He lost 60 pounds in a few months! He felt great. But then, like so many of us, he gained it all back (and then some) once the stress of the presidency hit. He told his brother he was "continuously hungry." You've gotta feel for the guy. Imagine trying to negotiate international treaties while your stomach is screaming for a potato.
The Secret Health Toll
Being the fattest president of the United States wasn't just about clothes not fitting. It actively messed with his ability to lead.
Taft almost certainly suffered from severe obstructive sleep apnea.
During his four years in the White House, he was famous for nodding off at the worst times. He’d fall asleep during card games. He’d fall asleep while standing up at public events. He even reportedly dozed off during a conversation with the Speaker of the House.
People at the time thought he was just "lazy" or "lethargic," but he was likely just oxygen-deprived. His neck was so thick that his airway would collapse at night, meaning he never got a good night's sleep. It makes you wonder how much of his "mediocre" presidency was just a result of him being functionally exhausted for 1,460 days straight.
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The Surprising Ending
Here’s the part people usually miss. After Taft lost the 1912 election, he finally found his groove.
Without the stress of the Oval Office, he got serious about his health again. He dropped 70 pounds and kept it off. By the time he became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court later in life, he was down to about 244 pounds—almost exactly what he weighed in college.
He lived to be 72, which was a pretty long run for that era, especially for someone who had put his heart through that much stress.
What We Can Learn From "Big Bill"
Looking back at the fattest president of the United States gives us a weirdly human look at the people we put on pedestals.
- Stress is the ultimate diet-killer. Taft could lose weight as a private citizen, but the White House made him turn to food.
- History loves a joke more than the truth. We remember the bathtub story because it's funny, even if it's fake. We forget that he was a brilliant legal mind who served in two branches of government.
- Check your sleep. If you're nodding off in meetings like Taft, it might not be the meeting—it might be sleep apnea.
If you're ever feeling down about your own health journey, just remember that even the guy running the free world couldn't say no to a snack when things got tough.
Next Steps for You:
If you're interested in more presidential trivia that isn't just about weight, you might want to look into the "secret" surgeries of Grover Cleveland or the insane fitness routine of Teddy Roosevelt. Taking a deep dive into the medical histories of these leaders usually reveals they were way more relatable (and flawed) than the history books let on.