William Howard Taft IV

William Howard Taft IV
20th Legal Adviser of the Department of State
In office
April 16, 2001  February 28, 2005
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Preceded byDavid Andrews
Succeeded byJohn B. Bellinger III
15th United States Ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
In office
August 3, 1989  June 26, 1992
PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush
Preceded byAlton G. Keel Jr.
Succeeded byReginald Bartholomew
United States Secretary of Defense
Acting
January 20, 1989  March 21, 1989
PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush
Preceded byFrank Carlucci
Succeeded byDick Cheney
21st United States Deputy Secretary of Defense
In office
February 3, 1984  April 22, 1989
PresidentRonald Reagan
George H. W. Bush
Preceded byW. Paul Thayer
Succeeded byDonald J. Atwood Jr.
General Counsel of the Department of Defense
In office
April 2, 1981  February 3, 1984
PresidentRonald Reagan
Preceded byLeonard Niederlehner (acting)
Succeeded byChapman B. Cox
Personal details
Born (1945-09-13) September 13, 1945
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
(m. 1974; died 2008)
Children3
RelativesTaft family
EducationYale University (BA)
Harvard University (JD)

William Howard Taft IV (born September 13, 1945) is an American diplomat and attorney who served in the United States government under several Republican administrations. He is a son of William Howard Taft III and a great-grandson of President William Howard Taft.