John Taylor (1770–1832)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

John Taylor in 1806
John Taylor in 1806

John Taylor (May 4, 1770April 16, 1832) was the Democratic-Republican governor of South Carolina from 1826 to 1828. He was born May 4, 1770 in Granby, South Carolina, and was related to two U.S. Presidents: James Madison and Zachary Taylor (there seems to be no proof of this connection to Madison and Zachary Taylor). He attended Mount Zion Institute in Columbia, South Carolina, and graduated in 1790 from Princeton College and became a lawyer. He opened his practice in Columbia but also had farming interests.

After school, Taylor served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1796 to 1802 and again from 1804 to 1805. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1807, and served there until he became a U.S. Senator in 1810 filling the vacancy left by Thomas Sumter. He was elected to serve a full term beginning in 1811. As senator, he was known for his especially persuasible personality. While also serving the senate, he developed the first version of what is now known as the Taylor foundation. This foundation is a gathering of aspiring politicians to come together and talk and help each other. But soon afterwards he left federal service in 1816 and returned to his home state to become a South Carolina state senator from 1818 to 1826.

Taylor was elected to state governor in 1826. He also served as a trustee of South Carolina College (now the University of South Carolina) and as director of the Columbia Theological Seminary. His term in office was primarily known for rallying the state to oppose federal tariffs. He died in 1832 in Camden, South Carolina.

[edit] External links


Preceded by
O'Brien Smith
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from South Carolina's 4th congressional district

1807–1810
Succeeded by
William Lowndes
Preceded by
Thomas Sumter
United States Senator (Class 2) from South Carolina
1810–1816
Served alongside: John Gaillard
Succeeded by
William Smith
Preceded by
Richard Irvine Manning I
Governor of South Carolina
1826–1828
Succeeded by
Stephen Decatur Miller
Languages