Joseph Taggart (June 15, 1867 – December 3, 1938) was a lawyer and a Democratic member of the

U.S. House of Representatives 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 ...

, representing the

2nd Congressional District of Kansas Kansas' 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Kansas that covers most of the eastern part of the state, except for the core of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The district encompasses less than a quarter ...

from November 7, 1911, to March 3, 1917. He was born near

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, the son of John and Bridget (née McDavitt) Taggart. His mother died when he was an infant. He moved with his father to

Saline County, Kansas Saline County is located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and largest city is Salina. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 54,303. The county was named after the Saline River. History Early history For many mill ...

in 1885, and attended

Salina Normal University Salina Normal University, sometimes called Salina Normal College, was an independent coeducational normal school established in 1884 in Salina, Kansas, United States. It offered collegiate, normal, business, science, and fine arts courses. Th ...

in Salina, graduating in 1890. He taught school in nearby

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in 1892 and 1893, studying law during his evenings and vacations. He was admitted to the bar in 1893, and practiced law in Salina for several years before moving to

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City (commonly known as KCK) is the third-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As ...

in 1900. Four years later he was the Democratic nominee for

Wyandotte County Wyandotte County () is a county in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and most populous city is Kansas City, with which it shares a unified government. As of the 2020 census, the population was 169,245, making it Kansas's fourth-m ...

, losing in a close election. He won the office two years later, and was re-elected in 1908 and 1910. He was elected in 1911 to the U.S. House of Representatives, filling a vacancy caused by the death of Alexander C. Mitchell, and was reelected twice. He served in the

Quartermaster Corps Following is a list of quartermaster corps, military units, active and defunct, with logistics duties: * Egyptian Army Quartermaster Corps - see Structure of the Egyptian Army * Hellenic Army Quartermaster Corps (''Σώμα Φροντιστών ...

of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, then resumed his law practice in Kansas City. He was appointed judge of the controversial Kansas Court of Industrial Relations in 1924, serving during its last year of existence.

Death

Taggart died in

Wadsworth, Kansas Wadsworth was an unincorporated community in Delaware Township, Leavenworth County, Kansas, United States. It is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. History In this area, on land granted by the city of Leavenworth, the Western Branch, Nat ...

, and is buried in Mount Vernon Cemetery,

Atchison, Kansas Atchison is a city in, and the county seat of, Atchison County, Kansas, United States, along the Missouri River. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 10,885. The city is named in honor of US Senator ...

Legacy

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planted in 1917 on the East Grounds of the U.S. Capitol to honor Taggart was assessed as "in poor condition and in decline" by the

Architect of the Capitol The Architect of the Capitol is the Federal government of the United States, federal Government agency, agency responsible for the maintenance, operation, development, and preservation of the United States Capitol Complex. It is an agency of t ...

. It was located at the planned entrance to a new subterranean Capitol Visitor Center scheduled to open in 2006. It was chopped down in 2002, with plans to plant a replacement memorial elsewhere on the Capitol grounds.

External links and sources

Biography
from ''History of Wyandotte County Kansas and its people'' ( published in 1911), transcription hosted by the Kansas State Library * Memorial tree on Capitol grounds:
Capitol Visitor Center Tree Facts
mentioning the assessment of the Taggart memorial tree
Subterranean visitor center taking shape
an AP news article from the

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

website mentioning the Taggart memorial tree {{DEFAULTSORT:Taggart, Joseph 1867 births 1938 deaths United States Army personnel of World War I Kansas state court judges Kansas lawyers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kansas Politicians from Salina, Kansas People from Wyandotte County, Kansas 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives