Robert Love Taylor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 24th Governor of Tennessee | |
| In office January 17, 1887 – January 19, 1891 | |
| Preceded by | William B. Bate |
| Succeeded by | John P. Buchanan |
| In office January 21, 1897 – January 16, 1899 | |
| Preceded by | Peter Turney |
| Succeeded by | Benton McMillin |
| United States Senator from Tennessee | |
| In office March 4, 1907 – March 31, 1912 | |
| Preceded by | Edward W. Carmack |
| Succeeded by | Newell Sanders |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 1st district | |
| In office March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1881 | |
| Preceded by | James H. Randolph |
| Succeeded by | Augustus H. Pettibone |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 31, 1850 Carter County, Tennessee, US |
| Died | March 31, 1912 (aged 61) Washington, D.C., US |
| Resting place | Monte Vista Memorial Park, Johnson City, Tennessee |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Sarah Baird Alice Hill Mamie St. John |
| Relations | Nathaniel Green Taylor (father) Alfred A. Taylor (brother) Landon Carter Haynes (uncle) Nathaniel Edwin Harris (cousin) Peter Taylor (grandson) |
| Profession | Attorney, lecturer, editor |
| Signature |  |
Robert Love Taylor (July 31, 1850 – March 31, 1912) was an American politician, writer, and lecturer. A member of the Democratic Party, he served three terms as the 24th governor of Tennessee, from 1887 to 1891, and again from 1897 to 1899, and subsequently served as a United States senator from 1907 until his death. He also represented Tennessee's 1st district in the United States House of Representatives from 1879 to 1881, the last Democrat to hold the district's seat.[1]
A charismatic speaker, Taylor is remembered for defeating his older brother, Alfred A. "Alf" Taylor, in the 1886 gubernatorial campaign known as "The War of the Roses."[2] The campaign involved storytelling, fiddle-playing, and practical jokes, standing in contrast to the state's previous gubernatorial campaigns, which typically involved fierce rhetoric and personal attacks.[1] Though Robert Taylor won in 1886, Alfred Taylor was elected as governor in the early 1920s.
Along with politics, Taylor was a public lecturer and magazine editor. He published several collections of his lectures and short stories in the 1890s and early 1900s, and was co-editor of the Taylor-Trotwood Magazine.
- ^ a b Phillip Langsdon, Tennessee: A Political History (Franklin, Tenn.: Hillsboro Press, 2000), pp. 213-228.
- ^ Robert L. Taylor, Jr., "Robert L. Taylor," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, 2009. Retrieved: 8 November 2012.