Show senator taft dies of cancer malady mala SUDDEN RELAPSE ENDS BRILLIANT U S CAREER NEW YORK robert taft of ohio one of the figures in the history of united states senate died friday of malignant tumors at height of his career as a public servant the 63 year old mr republican whose party thrice denied him his highest ambition to run for the presidency his father william howard taft had held died clied quietly at am MST in nw new the ohio senator whose it illness forced him to give up the senate republican floor leadership early last month entered new york hospital july 4 and underwent an exploratory abdominal operation four days later his condition became critical thursday but before he fell into a coma he had sat on the edge of his bed and thanked the white house physician for bringing him the best wishes of president eisenhower 1 I 1 taft had felt well enough sit up for breakfast thursday but in late afternoon he took a sudden turn for the worse at 6 pm his condition was critical at 11 pm he was in a coma and failing rapidly at am friday the hospital reported senator taft is still in a coma his breathing was vas labored and he was being given oxygen at the bulletin said only that his condition remained critical three of his sons gathered for an all night watch they were william howard HI 37 U S ambassador to ireland who had flown flawn here from dublin thursday robert R 35 and lloyd bowers 30 the fourth son horace 27 arrived friday morning fro from los alamos N M his wife martha his counselor and companion through a third of a century of po politics was forced by hir her own illness tn n remain in washington she visited him tuesday but stayed only only the one day mrs taft has been confined to a wheel chair since since suffering a stroke three years ago three terms beginning in 1938 taft t was elected to three consecutive senate terms he scored a notable victory on his third bid he was reelected elected re overwhelmingly in the face of all out opposition by organized labor whose leaders resented his taft hartley act the oldest child of william howard taft president of the united states taft was born sept 8 1889 in cincinnati in in a gingerbread victorian house overlooking the ohio river he wanted to become the seo nd man in his count rys history to follow his father to the presidency he strove mightily for the republican nomination three times in 1940 1948 and 1952 it was denied him but he wore his defeats in the manner which won him respect ind and toward the end of his distinguished U S senate career even veneration |