TAYLOR
TAYLOR
ing a select school and an academy in Jefferson
county he taught the public school of LaPorte,
Ohio, for several years, and was married, in 1842,
to Catherine, daughter of James and Annie Hurd
of LaPorte, and they had three daugliters. Mrs.
Taylor died in 1884. He became part owner of a'
saw and grist mill and of a cupolo furnace in La-
Porte; attended lectures and clinics at the Medical
college, Cleveland, Ohio, 1845-46; was elected cap-
tain and subsequently colonel in the uniformed
state militia, and in 1848 settled on a farm at Cot-
tage Grove, Dane county, Wis. He was re-
peatedly chairman of the town board and of the
board of county supervisors; superintendent of
public schools, and county superintendent of the
poor for seventeen years; deputy collector of in-
ternal revenue; trustee, vice-president and a
member of the executive board of the state hos-
pital at Mendota, 1860-74; a Democratic member
of both branches of the state legislature. He
was the first man in Dane county to offer a pub-
lic bounty to volunteers in 1861, and he thus
secured five enlistments, and as special state
agent visited General Fremont at St. Louis, to
consult as to raising and equipping troops in Wis-
consin, his mission being successful. He was
unanimously nominated for governor of Wiscon-
sin in 1873, by a convention composed of Dem-
ocrats, Liberal Republicans and reformers, and
was elected over Gov. C. C. Washburn by 15.411
majority. He was inaugurated January 5, 1874,
serving to January 3, 1876. During his adminis-
tration, the disbursements for state purposes were
reduced many hundreds of thousands of dollars
below the average of previous years. In 1874,
when the Potter law placing the railroads under
state control and limiting railroad freights and
fares was passed, and disregarded by the officers
of the roads. Governor Taylor issued a proclama-
tion demanding obedience to the law, and the
state courts and Federal courts of last resort,
after hearing the most eminent lawyers on both
sides, enjoined the companies from violating it,
and the question, which had become of national
importance, was settled. He was active in pro-
moting the agricultural department of the Wis-
consin university and the establishment of the
Farmers' Institute. He was defeated for re-
election in 1875 by Harrison Ludington (q.v.)
who held large lumber and railroad interests in
the state and was able to bring other similar
interests to help him in securing an election by a
plurality of a few hundred votes. He was presi-
dent of the Dane County Agricultural society for
seven years, and twice president of the State
Agricultural society. He was married, secondly,
in July, 1886, to Viola, daughter of Edison and
Harriet Lee, natives of Vermont, and they had
one son, William Robert Taylor, Jr.
TAYLOR, William Rogers, naval officer, was
born in Newport, R.I., Nov. 7, 1811; son of
William Vigneron Taylor (q.v.) and Abby (White)
Taylor. He entered the navy as midshipman,
April 1, 1828; was advanced to passed midship-
man, June 14, 1834; was on board the Peacock
when she was stranded on Mazira in 1836. and took
the United States representatives on a five-day
trip in an open boat to the Sultan at Muscat.
He served on the Pacific station; was commis-
sioned lieutenant, Feb. 10, 1840; assisted in the
survey of Tampa bay, Fla., 1842-43; served on
the Brazil station, 1843-44; fought at Tampico in
the St. Mary's, Nov. 14, 1846, and at Vei-a Cruz
he fought on shore. He was promoted com-
mander, Sept. 14, 1855; was put in command of
the Housatonic in 1851; was promoted captain,
July 16, 1862, and was senior officer in the
Charleston blockade, until Dahlgren took com-
mand, when he became fleet-captain. In Jan-
uary, 1863, he engaged the Cliocura and the Pal-
metto; in July, 1863, he took part in the attack
on Morris Island, and took command of the
Juniata during the attacks on Fort Fisher, De-
cember, 1864-January, 1865. He was promoted
commodore, July 25, 1866, and commanded apart
of the Pacific fleet. He was promoted rear-
admiral, Jan. 19, 1871, and commanded the U.S.
naval forces on the South Atlantic station from
May, 1872, until his retirement, Nov. 7, 1873. He
died in Washington, D.C., April 14, 1889.
TAYLOR, William Sylvester, governor of Kentucky, was born in Butler county, Ky., Oct. 10, 1853; son of Sylvester Taylor. He attended the common schools; was admitted to the bar, and began practice in Butler county. He was married, Feb. 10, 1878, to Sarah B. Taun. He was clerk of the court of Butler county, 1882-86; judge of the same, 1886-94; attorney-general of Kentucky, 1895-99, and Republican governer of Kentucky, 1899-1900, after which he removed to Indianapolis, Ind., where he continued the prac- tice of law.
TAYLOR, William Vigneron, naval officer, was born at Newport, R.I., April 10, 1780; son of James and Mary (Vigneron) Taylor, members of the Society of Friends, and a descendant of N.F. Vigneron, who immigrated to Newport in 1690. Early in life he went before the mast and in time became a captain in the marine. He was married in 1810 to Abby White of Newport. In April, 1813, he enlisted as sailing-master in the U.S. navy helped Perry build his fleet on Lake Erie and in the fight of September 10, was sailing master of the Laun'ence. He was slightly wounded in the engage- ment, received a vote of thanks and a sword for his services, and was commissioned lieutenant, Dec. 9, 1814, and served in the war with the Barbnrv states, 1815-16. He was granted a leave of absence,
