| William Howard Taft's Bathtub Valve | |
|---|---|
| |
|
Origin |
William Howard Taft |
|
Type |
Bathtub Valve |
|
Effects |
Increases body fluid production and weight |
|
Downsides |
Can lead to organ failure |
|
Activation |
Touch |
|
Collected by |
Warehouse 13 |
|
Section |
|
|
Aisle |
570884-7426 |
|
Shelf |
131989-1076-324 |
|
Date of Collection |
April 28, 1994 |
| [Source] | |
Origin[]
William Howard Taft 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. Taft was elected president in 1908, the chosen successor of Theodore Roosevelt, but was defeated for re-election by Woodrow Wilson in 1912 after Roosevelt split the Republican vote by running as a third-party candidate. In 1921, President Warren G. Harding appointed Taft to be chief justice, a position in which he served until a month before his death.
In the White House, he focused on East Asia more than European affairs, and repeatedly intervened to prop up or remove Latin American governments. Taft sought reductions to trade tariffs, then a major source of governmental income, but the resulting bill was heavily influenced by special interests. His administration was filled with conflict between the conservative wing of the Republican Party, with which Taft often sympathized, and the progressive wing, toward which Roosevelt moved more and more.
Outside of politics, he was renowned for his great girth, weighing an impressive 335 pounds. He once got stuck inside his bathtub at the White House, which was large enough for four normal sized people.
Effects[]
When touched the artifact causes the users body to produce extreme amounts of body fluid, greatly increasing their total weight. If not pumped out of the body it causes internal organs to shut down.