William Whitaker Taylor (September 11, 1853 – August 1, 1884) was a member of the Utah Territorial Legislature, member of the

Presidency of the Seventy A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified by a ...

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

(LDS Church), and a son of LDS Church president John Taylor. He was a half brother to John W. Taylor, a member of the

Quorum of the Twelve Apostles A quorum is the minimum number of members of a deliberative assembly (a body that uses parliamentary procedure, such as a legislature) necessary to conduct the business of that group. According to ''Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised'', the ...

who was dropped from the body and

excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...

for refusing to give up plural marriage, and a brother-in-law to George Q. Cannon. William served a mission in England with his half brother John, but before leaving married the youngest daughter of

Abraham Hoagland Abraham Lucas Hoagland (March 24, 1797 – February 14, 1872) was an early Mormon leader, pioneer, and one of the founders of Royal Oak, Michigan, and Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Early life Hoagland was born on March 24, 1797, in Hillsborough ...

and Agnes Taylor, 20-year-old Sarah Taylor Hoagland, with whom he eventually had six children. William reported that while crossing the ocean with John on the Steamship Dakota on the way to England, he had a dream in which Jesus Christ appeared to him, took him by the hand, looked in his face, and asked "Will you ever doubt again?"Lewis, William O. III. "William W. Taylor, General Authority." ''GA Pages''. Accessed 25 February 2007. Se

Two years after returning from his mission, William was named one of the Seventy (LDS Church), First Seven Presidents of the Seventy at the age of 26. Soon thereafter he was also appointed to the

Council of Fifty "The Council of Fifty" (also known as "the Living Constitution", "the Kingdom of God", or its name by revelation, "The Kingdom of God and His Laws with the Keys and Power thereof, and Judgment in the Hands of His Servants, Ahman Christ") was a La ...

. Despite the near-universal view that John Taylor refused compromise on plural marriage, over a third of general authorities appointed under Taylor were monogamists, including William and his half brother. It wasn't until just before his death that William took on a plural wife, Selma van Cott, daughter of fellow Seventies president John Van Cott. In addition to his rise within the church, William was elected to the

Utah Territorial Legislature The Utah State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. It is a bicameral body, comprising the Utah House of Representatives, with 75 state representatives, and the Utah Senate, with 29 state senators. There are no term ...

in the 1883 general election. Within months, he was also elected assessor and collector of taxes for Salt Lake City in February 1884. However, on a Saturday evening that summer, he was attacked with " bilious colic" and died from the effects within a week. He left six children, eight years and under, from his first wife and none from his second. Given his meteoric rise in church and public office, one historian commented that Taylor would be much better known if his life hadn't ended at such an early age. His father, who was president of the LDS Church at the time, said in his obituary "I cannot think of anything which I wish he had done differently." John Morgan took his place as one of the presidents of the Seventy. At Taylor's funeral in the

Salt Lake Tabernacle The Salt Lake Tabernacle, also known as the Mormon Tabernacle, is located on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, in the U.S. state of Utah. The Tabernacle was built from 1863 to 1875 to house meetings for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Sa ...

Wilford Woodruff Wilford Woodruff Sr. (March 1, 1807September 2, 1898) was an American religious leader who served as the fourth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1889 until his death. He ended the public practice of ...

, Robert T. Burton, Joseph F. Smith, George Q. Cannon, and John Taylor each spoke.Smith, John Henry. ''The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star'' Volume XLVL, p. 538.

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Extended biography of William Whitaker Taylor
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, William Whittaker 1853 births 1884 deaths 19th-century Mormon missionaries American general authorities (LDS Church) American Mormon missionaries in England Cannon family Members of the Utah Territorial Legislature Presidents of the Seventy (LDS Church) 19th-century American politicians Latter Day Saints from Utah Taylor family (Latter Day Saints)

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