James Willis "J. Will" Taylor (August 28, 1880 – November 14, 1939) was an American educator, lawyer and politician who served eleven terms as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

from 1919 to 1939.

Early life and education

Born near Lead Mine Bend in

Union County, Tennessee Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, its population was 19,802. Its county seat is Maynardville. Union County is included in the Knoxville metropolitan statistical area. History Union Coun ...

, Taylor was the son of James W. and Sarah Elizabeth (Rogers) Taylor. He attended the public schools, Holbrook Normal College,

Fountain City, Tennessee Fountain City is a neighborhood in northern Knoxville, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. Although not a census-designated place (it is grouped with Knoxville for census-purposes), the populations of the two ZIP codes that serve Foun ...

, and the American Temperance University in

Harriman, Tennessee Harriman is a city located primarily in Roane County, Tennessee, with a small extension into Morgan County. The population of Harriman was 5,892 at the time of the 2020 census. Geography Harriman is situated along the physiographic boundary ...

Early career

Taylor taught at school for several years, and was graduated from

Cumberland School of Law The Cumberland School of Law is an American Bar Association, ABA-accredited law school at Samford University in Homewood, Alabama, United States. It was founded in 1847 at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee and is the 11th oldest law sch ...

Cumberland University Cumberland University is a private university in Lebanon, Tennessee, United States. It was founded in 1842. The oldest campus buildings were constructed between 1892 and 1896. History 1842–1861 The university was founded by the Cumberl ...

Lebanon, Tennessee Lebanon ( ) is the county seat of Wilson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 38,431 at the 2020 census. Lebanon is located in Middle Tennessee, approximately east of downtown Nashville. Lebanon is part of the Nashville Metro ...

, in 1902. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

the same year. Having moved to La Follette, Tennessee, Taylor commenced the practice of law. He served as postmaster at La Follette from 1904 to 1909.

Political career

He was also mayor from 1910 to 1913, and in 1918 and 1919. He was Insurance commissioner for the State of Tennessee in 1913 and 1914 and chairman of the Republican State executive committee in 1917 and 1918. Taylor generally voted with the

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

side, including in his last incomplete House term. During his tenure in Congress he was a dominant figure in the

Tennessee Republican Party The Tennessee Republican Party (TRP or TNGOP) is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Tennessee. Since the mid-1960s, the state has become increasingly Republican. The current chairman of the Republican Party of Tennessee is Sco ...

. He was a leading member of the state party's

black-and-tan faction The black-and-tan faction was an American biracial faction in the Republican Party in the Southern United States from the 1870s to the 1960s. It replaced the Negro Republican Party faction's name after the 1890s. Southern Republicans were divi ...

, which supported racial equality.

Congress

Taylor was elected as a Republican to the Sixty-sixth and to the ten succeeding Congresses and served from March 4, 1919, until his death. He served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of State ( Sixty-eighth and Sixty-ninth Congresses). He also served as member of the Republican National Executive Committee 1929–1939.

Death

Taylor died in La Follette, Tennessee, on November 14, 1939 (age 59 years, 78 days). He is interred at Woodlawn Cemetery.

Legacy

A resolution by Walter White honoring Taylor was passed by the

Tennessee House of Representatives The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. Constitutional requirements According to the state constitution of 1870, this body is to consis ...

in 1941.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, J. Will 1880 births 1939 deaths Mayors of places in Tennessee Tennessee lawyers People from LaFollette, Tennessee Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee People from Union County, Tennessee Tennessee postmasters 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives