The idea of forming a national organization to represent the unified interests of U.S. business first took shape under the presidency of William Howard Taft. On April 12, 1912, his vision for the organization became a reality when a group of 700 delegates from various commercial and trade organizations came together to form the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to represent business interests at the national level. More than 90 years later, the chamber has grown to include more than 3 million business organizations who count on the chamber to be their voice in the nation’s capital. Involved with the chamber are more than 1,500 representatives from its member corporations, the academic community, and other organizations that voluntarily serve on committees, subcommittees, task forces, and councils ...