Horatio T. Taylor

Horatio Theodore Taylor (June 13, 1827  April 27, 1905) was an American merchant, salesman, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was an early settler at Racine, Wisconsin, and represented the city in the Wisconsin State Assembly during the 1863 session. He also served as sheriff of Racine County, and was an early employee of the J. I. Case Company.

Horatio T. Taylor
From Portrait and Biographical Album of Racine and Kenosha Counties (1892)
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the Racine 1st district
In office
January 5, 1863  January 4, 1864
Preceded byCalvin H. Upham
Succeeded byGeorge C. Northrop
Sheriff of Racine County, Wisconsin
In office
January 1, 1861  January 5, 1863
Preceded byWilliam G. Everit
Succeeded byAaron S. French
Personal details
Born(1827-06-13)June 13, 1827
Batavia, New York, U.S.
DiedApril 27, 1905(1905-04-27) (aged 77)
Winnetka, Illinois, U.S.
Cause of deathStroke
Resting placeMound Cemetery, Racine, Wisconsin
Political party
Spouse
Maria Campbell
(m. 1850; died 1876)
Children
  • Henry H. Taylor
  • Ida (Dyer)
  • 1 other
OccupationMerchant, salesman

Biography

Horatio T. Taylor was born June 13, 1827, in Batavia, New York. He was sent to study at an academy in Rochester, New York, and later at Clarence Hollow.[1] When he was just 14 years old, in 1841, he traveled west to the Wisconsin Territory and went to work as a salesman for Lee & Dickson, the first mercantile house in Racine. He worked for ten years, then, in 1851, opened a grocery store, which he operated successfully for thirty years.[1]

He was a member of the Racine County board of supervisors in 1856, 1873, 1874, 1875, and 1876. He was also a school commissioner in 1865, 1867, and 1869. And served as city assessor in 1870.[2] He was appointed a deputy sheriff of Racine County in 1857, and simultaneously served as deputy U.S. marshal.[1]

Taylor was originally an anti-slavery Democrat, but abandoned the party after the Kansas–Nebraska Act, and joined the new Republican Party.[1] In 1860, he was the Republican nominee for sheriff of Racine County, and was elected with much of the rest of the Republican ticket.[3]

Rather than running for re-election as sheriff, in 1862, Taylor ran for Wisconsin State Assembly, and was elected to represent Racine County's first Assembly districtcomprising just the city of Racine.[4] He did not run for re-election in 1863.

He as an associate of Jerome Case through religious and political affairs, and in 1875 he went to work for the J. I. Case Company. He worked nine years as a traveling salesman for Case, and then worked in the stock department of the company for a number of years until his retirement.[1]

After a period of poor health, Taylor went to live at the home of his daughter, Ida Dyer, in Winnetka, Illinois. He suffered a stroke there in 1904, and was largely incapacitated until his death in April 1905.[1]

Personal life and family

Horatio T. Taylor was a son of George Taylor and his wife Lydia (née Markham).[1] His paternal grandfather, William Taylor, served in the Rhode Island militia through seven years of the American Revolutionary War, and participated in the Battle of Bunker Hill.

Horatio Taylor had at least two siblings, who also came to live in Wisconsin.[5]

He married Maria Campbell, the daughter of another Wisconsin pioneer, on November 28, 1850. They had three children together, though one child died young. His wife died in 1876.[1]

References

  1. "Former Pioneer Resident is Dead". Racine Journal. April 28, 1905. p. 1. Retrieved March 14, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  2. The History of Racine and Kenosha Counties, Wisconsin. Western Historical Company. 1879. pp. 377–378. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  3. "Our Candidates". Racine Journal. September 12, 1860. p. 3. Retrieved March 14, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  4. Dean, John S.; Stewart, Frank M., eds. (1863). "Legislative Department" (PDF). The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 90, 92, 129. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  5. "George E. Taylor". Stevens Point Journal. March 25, 1907. p. 1. Retrieved March 14, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.