Was William Howard Taft a bad or good president?

William Howard Taft (1857–1930) served both as president (1909–13) and as chief justice (1921–30) of the United States. The second position on the Supreme Court was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. He was not a bad president, however. A recent survey of political scientists ranks him twenty-second—almost squarely in the middle. Prior to his presidency, Taft served ably as governor of the Philippines and secretary of war.
The biggest problem for his presidency was Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt. Roosevelt was a gregarious and popular man, and Taft was much more taciturn. Roosevelt chose Taft as his successor in the presidency, and Roosevelt's popularity was instrumental in Taft's winning the presidential election of 1908. Roosevelt became dissatisfied with his successor, believing he was not progressive enough. Roosevelt's criticism hurt Taft's reputation. Roosevelt challenged Taft for the Republican nomination in 1912. Taft won the nomination, so Roosevelt ran as a third-party candidate. This split the Republican vote, which enabled Woodrow Wilson, the Democrat, to win.
In summary, Taft was a mediocre president who served in the shadow of Roosevelt. Taft really thrived, however, in his role as chief justice.