John TAYLOR, Congress, VA (1753-1824)

TAYLOR John , a Senator from Virginia known as 'John Taylor of Caroline' to distinguish him from others of the same name; born in either Orange or Caroline County, Va., probably on December 19, 1753; educated by private tutors; studied at the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Va., 1770-1772; studied law; admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Caroline County in 1774; served in the Revolutionary War as major and colonel; member, State house of delegates 1779-1785, with the exception of 1782, and 1796-1800; retired from the practice of law and engaged in agricultural pursuits; elected in 1792 to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Richard Henry Lee; reelected in 1793 and served from October 18, 1792, until his resignation on May 11, 1794; presidential elector in 1797; appointed to the United States Senate as a Democratic Republican to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Stevens T. Mason and served from June 4 to December 7, 1803, when a successor was elected; was not a candidate for election to fill the vacancy; elected in 1822 to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of James Pleasants; reelected as a Crawford Republican in 1823, and served from December 18, 1822, until his death in Caroline County, Va., August 21, 1824; interment on Hazelwood farm, near Port Royal, Caroline County, Va.

Bibliography

Dictionary of American Biography; Hill, Charles William, Jr. The Political Theory of John Taylor of Caroline. Rutherfurd, N.J.: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1976; Shalhope, Robert E. John Taylor of Caroline. Columbia, S.C.: University of South Carolina Press, 1980.

Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present