Robert Walker Tayler (November 26, 1852November 25, 1910) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician who served four terms as a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...

from

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

from 1895 to 1903. He also served as a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district. Each district covers one U.S. state or a portion of a state. There is at least one feder ...

of the

United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio (in case citations, N.D. Ohio) is the federal trial court for the northern half of Ohio, encompassing most territories north of the city of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus. The court has courthou ...

Education and career

Born on November 26, 1852, in

Youngstown Youngstown is a city in Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, 11th-most populous city in Ohio with a population of 60,068 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Mahoning ...

, Mahoning County,

, Tayler attended the public schools, received an Artium Baccalaureus degree in 1872 from Western Reserve College (now

Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a Private university, private research university in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It was established in 1967 by a merger between Western Reserve University and the Case Institute of Technology. Case ...

) and

read law Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship un ...

in 1877. Prior to practicing law, he taught in the high school in Lisbon, Ohio and served as superintendent of schools from 1873 to 1875. He was editor of the ''Buckeye State'' in Lisbon from 1875 to 1876. He entered private practice in East Liverpool, Ohio from 1877 to 1880. He was prosecutor for

Columbiana County Columbiana County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 101,877. The county seat is Lisbon and its largest city is Salem. Created in 1803, the county name is derived from that of 15th-centur ...

, Ohio from 1880 to 1885. He resumed private practice in

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

, Ohio from 1885 to 1890, and from 1892 to 1895. He was in private practice in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

from 1890 to 1892.

Congressional service

Tayler was elected as a Republican from

Ohio's 18th congressional district The 18th Ohio Congressional Districts, congressional district of Ohio is an obsolete congressional district last represented by Republican Party (United States), Republican Bob Gibbs. The district voted for the majority party in the House of R ...

to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...

of the

54th United States Congress The 54th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 1895 ...

and to the three succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1895 to March 3, 1903. He was Chairman of the Committee on Elections No. 1 for the 55th through

57th United States Congress The 57th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1901, to ...

es. He declined to be a candidate in 1902 for renomination. He resumed private practice of law in Youngstown from 1903 to 1905.

Federal judicial service

Tayler was nominated by President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

on January 6, 1905, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge Francis Joseph Wing. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

on January 10, 1905, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on November 25, 1910, due to his death in

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

, Ohio, where he had moved following his appointment to the federal bench. He was interred in Lisbon Cemetery in Lisbon.

Family

Tayler was the son of

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Robert Walker Tayler Sr.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tayler, Robert Walker 1852 births 1910 deaths Judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio United States district court judges appointed by Theodore Roosevelt Case Western Reserve University alumni People from East Liverpool, Ohio Lawyers from Cleveland Politicians from Youngstown, Ohio County district attorneys in Ohio 19th-century American newspaper editors United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law Lawyers from Youngstown, Ohio People from Lisbon, Ohio 19th-century American judges Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives