Dr. Richard Ray Taylor (November 21, 1922 – November 8, 1978) was a Lieutenant General in the United States military and served as the 33rd Surgeon General of the United States Army.
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Born on November 21, 1922 in Prairieburg, Iowa. He was raised in the small town of Norton, Kansas. His father and two of his four brothers were physicians. His father, Charles Fletcher Taylor, MD was the Superintendent of the State Sanitatorium for Tuberculosis, where his brother, David Taylor, MD also served on staff for a time. His mother, Harriet Taylor, was Kansas mother of the year and was well known for keeping the family together and being a great cook. Dr. Taylor was one of eight siblings. His youngest brother, Danny, died in an automobile accident while he was an architecture student at the University of Kansas. Richard Taylor graduated with a BS from the University of Chicago in 1944 and later from the University of Chicago School of Medicine with his MD in 1946.
He worked his way up in ranks in the army from First Lieutenant in 1946 to Colonel in 1964, and eventually to Surgeon General of the US Army in October 1973. He was also in charge of M.A.S.H. units in Vietnam.
He died on November 8, 1978 at Arlington Hospital in Arlington, Virginia. He is survived by his wife, Frances Colby Taylor, his daughter, Carolyn Jean, and his four sons, Richard Ray Jr., Colby Fletcher, Bryan Dudley, and David Webster.
He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal; Legion of Merit, with Oak Leaf Cluster; Bronze Star; Joint Services Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster; Army Commendation Medal, with Oak Leaf Cluster; Vietnamese Distinguished Service Order First Class; and Vietnamese Public Services Medal First Class.