Chris Christie in Taft's Tub

The remote possibility of a Chris Christie Administration in the White House evokes the plumbing challenges of the nation’s 27th president, William Howard Taft.  In 1911, the tub depicted above debuted in the White House Master Bath to accommodate the 330+ pound chief executive. It was seven feet long and 41 inches wide.  For Taft’s long-distance travel before the era of flight, his aides installed one-ton tubs on the USS Arkansas and the USS North Carolina, the latter for a visit to the Panama Canal.

The genial Taft was forthcoming about his weight. He was our weightiest president; Madison was our lightest at 100 lbs. In contrast, the less affable Christie is more candid about his height (5’ 11”) and his recent weight loss (85 pounds owing to a surgical procedure). The bottom line: Christie, as governor of New Jersey owes us nothing on this weighty matter. You’ll have to elect him to our highest office to learn more. Learning, of course, has its price.