Which president was endorsed by Roosevelt in 1908, pursued anti-trust suits, and was defeated in the 1912 election after a split in the Republican Party?

• A. William Howard Taft
• B. Theodore Roosevelt
• C. Woodrow Wilson
• D. Grover Cleveland

Answer: (A)

Roosevelt wanted a successor who would continue his reform program, and he endorsed William Howard Taft in 1908. Taft carried on Roosevelt’s trust-busting approach, pursuing anti-trust suits against major monopolies as part of a broader effort to regulate big business. But in 1912 the Republican Party split when Roosevelt ran as a third-party Progressive, splitting the vote and weakening the Republican cause. That division helped Woodrow Wilson win the presidency. So the description points to Taft: a Roosevelt-backed president who pressed anti-trust actions and was defeated in 1912 because of the party rift.