William Howard Taft had personal ambition to become chief justice.
William Howard Taft ( September 15 , 1857 -- March 8 , 1930 ) served as the 27th President of the United States ( 1909 -- 1913 ) and as the tenth Chief Justice of the United States ( 1921 -- 1930 ) , the only person to have held both offices . In 1921 , President Warren G. Harding appointed Taft to be chief justice , a position in which he served until a month before his death . Despite his personal ambition to become chief justice , Taft declined repeated offers of appointment to the Supreme Court of the United States , believing his political work to be more important . In 1921 , President Harding appointed Taft as chief justice , an office he had long sought . Chief Justice Taft was a conservative on business issues , but under him , there were advances in individual rights .