He also played a part in aligning the 1908 Republican National Convention behind the nomination of William H. Taft . In January 1908 he brought it to the President 's attention that there was no front-runner for the Republican nomination to succeed him and that many Republican leaders in the United States Congress were under the suspicion that Roosevelt had every intention of running for a third term . Loeb urged the President that he would only be able to sustain the credibility of his pledge not to run again by endorsing a candidate . Loeb told Roosevelt that any nominee could win if only he would back him . In response , Roosevelt said that he would favor Elihu Root and authorized Loeb at that moment to go to see Root and make the offer of his endorsement . Root , then Secretary of State , was astonished by the endorsement but did not accept it because he judged himself to be unelectable . Loeb reported back to the President that same day to report on his meeting . Roosevelt accepted Root 's decision and told Loeb that his choice then was William Howard Taft , saying that he had the experience to run the government
1908 Republican National Convention
1908 Republican National Convention
William Loeb Jr.