Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1912-12-12
TAFT TO Be PROFESSOR
AT YALE AFTER MARCH
President to Occupy Kent Chair
of Law.
$4,000 YEAR GOES WITH IT,
information From Close Friend Shows
He Will Not Return TO
Practice.

President Taft will not go to Gin
cinnati and practice law when he
leaves the White House, but has
agre ed to accept professorship in
the Yale Law School, THIS statement
was made Tuesday night by close
friend OF President iaft, who said he
was acquainted with the Presidents
plans, says the New York Sun.
The Suns informant said that
President Taft would accept the Kent
professorship of law, which has not
been filed since the death Of Edward
j. Phelps. in 1900 Mr.. Phelps was
appointed in 1881, and although he
became Minister to Great Britain by
appointment of President Cleveland
in 1885, he retained it until his death.
The professorship covers lectures
in both constitutional and internation-
al law.
President Hsdley was asked about
the conclusion of President Taft to
accept the Kent professorship at his
home il New Haven.
Your information that President
Taft is to come to Yale is much
more complete than my own" he
said. II hadn't heard of it. The
Kent proft ssorship has been untitled
since the death IF Mr.. Phelps, but
there is an endowment for its contin-
uation. can't tell you the amount
of the endowment without consulting
the papers at my Office.
The statement was made to The
Sun that the Kent endowment is about
$4,000 year, and this sum, with
President Taft's private income of
So, 600 year is said to be regarded
by him as sufficient for the needs of
himself and his family.
1t is understood that President
Taft's motive in accepting the Kent
professorship is chiefly his fondness
for Yale University and all il repre-
sents. No alumnus is held in higher
esteem by the entire graduate body
than President Taft, while ths Presi-
deaf on his frequent visits to Yale
had constantly expressed qualification
over his return to his alma mater.
Aside from the natural desire
which President Taft would have or
post such as the Kent professor
ship, which offers a somewhat wider
field FOR lectures than the usual pro-
fessorship, his friend who talked with
The Sun said the offer from Yale
solved a question that had caused
the President no little emSarrass-
ment.
He has considered returning to
the practice of law, but many of tn
Federal Judges before whom he would
be expected to appear have been ap-
pointed to the bench by him, while he
also has appointed the majority of
the supreme Court. This would en-
barrass the President in the highest
court in the land.
1t is known that talks the Presi-
dent has had recently with members
of the Yale Corporation bore directly
upon the desire of the unive rsity to
have him accept the Kent professor
ship, but it was determined by the
university authorities to permit the
President to make the announcement
when he felt ready to do so.
Yale men feel the Kent profes-
sorship is one which appeals particu-
larly to President Taft, because of
the distinguished predecessor, Edward
John Phelps. Mr.. Phelps, who was
a native of Vermont, was president
of the American Bar Association the
year before he was called to Yale.
During his incumbency the pro-
fessorship became one of the most
noted in the country. In 1898 he was
one of counsel for the United States
in the arbitration over the Behring
Sea controversy, in which his knowl-
edge of international law made him
valuable to his government.
A precedent for the invitation of
President Taft to the Yale profes-
sorship is found in the appointment
of President Cleveland as Stafford
Ttfflo loaf1Yrar of Drinon4nr