In 1900, Taft was approached by President William McKinley to serve as chairman of a commission to organize a civilian government in the Philippines, which had been recently put under U.S. control following the Spanish-American War. Though Taft had initially opposed annexing the islands, he took the post. Taft then served as the first civilian governor-general of the Philippines from 1901 to 1903. During his service he negotiated the purchase of Philippine lands owned by the Roman Catholic Church. He then convinced Congress to buy the lands for $7 million before selling them to the Filipinos. In 1903, President Roosevelt offered Taft the job of his dreams – a seat on the Supreme Court. But Taft felt that the Filipinos were not yet able to govern themselves and declined the post. Roosevelt offered him the job several more times, but Taft had a strong resolve to complete the task at hand before considering his own personal interests.