Waller Taylor (c. 1775August 26, 1826) was an American military commander, politician, and one of the first two senators from the state of Indiana.

Biography

Taylor was born in

Lunenburg County, Virginia Lunenburg County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,936. Its county seat is Lunenburg. History Lunenburg County was established on May 1, 1746, from Brunswick County. The coun ...

where he spent his entire childhood. He studied law and served in the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-number ...

from 1800 to 1802. In 1804 he moved to

Vincennes, Indiana Vincennes is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Indiana, United States. It is located on the lower Wabash River in the southwestern part of the state, nearly halfway between Evansville and Terre Haute. Founded in 1732 by French fur ...

and practiced law there. He was appointed chancellor of the Indiana Territory in 1807. Also in 1807, he became a major in the territorial militia. He fought against Native Americans and served as an aide-de-camp to

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...

during the

Tecumseh's War Tecumseh's War or Tecumseh's Rebellion was a conflict between the United States and Tecumseh's Confederacy, led by the Shawnee leader Tecumseh in the Indiana Territory. Although the war is often considered to have climaxed with William Henry Ha ...

in 1809 to 1810. He participated in the Battle of Tippecanoe. Taylor continued in the United States Army during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It be ...

and rose to the rank of adjutant general. Taylor was a strong supporter of

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

and believed that slavery should have been allowed in Indiana. The slavery party had lost its majority status in the 1809 election and Taylor was part of the pro-slavery party trying regain power. He campaigned to become the congressional representative for Indiana in 1812 but was defeated by

Jonathan Jennings Jonathan Jennings (March 27, 1784 – July 26, 1834) was the first governor of Indiana and a nine-term congressman from Indiana. Born in either Hunterdon County, New Jersey, or Rockbridge County, Virginia, he studied law before migrating to the ...

. He had a hot temper and during the campaign challenged Jennings to a duel; Jennings declined. In 1816, when

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

became a state, he was chosen along with James Noble to join the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

as the first senators from Indiana. Taylor was elected to a full term in 1818 and left the Senate when that term expired in 1825. Taylor was a member of the faction in the United States Senate that supported

John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, and diarist who served as the sixth president of the United States, from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States ...

and

Henry Clay Henry Clay Sr. (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American attorney and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the United States Senate, U.S. Senate and United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives. He was the seven ...

. He was also associated with the United States

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

Party and the

United States National Republican Party The National Republican Party, also known as the Anti-Jacksonian Party or simply Republicans, was a political party in the United States that evolved from a conservative-leaning faction of the Democratic-Republican Party that supported John Qu ...

. Little else is known about the rest of Taylor's life except that he returned to Lunenburg, Virginia, and died there a year after leaving the Senate, of natural causes. Taylor was buried on his family's land in Lunenburg, Virginia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Waller 1786 births 1826 deaths United States senators from Indiana Members of the Virginia House of Delegates Indiana Territory officials People from Indiana in the War of 1812 Indiana Democratic-Republicans Indiana National Republicans 19th-century American politicians Democratic-Republican Party United States senators