William S. Taylor (Kentucky politician)
William S. Taylor | |
|---|---|
William O. Bradley | |
| Preceded by | W. J. Hendricks |
| Succeeded by | R. J. Breckinridge |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Sylvester Taylor October 10, 1853 Butler County, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | August 2, 1928 (aged 74) Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Sara Tanner Norah A. Meyers |
| Occupation |
|
William Sylvester Taylor (October 10, 1853 – August 2, 1928) was an American politician who was the 33rd Governor of Kentucky. He was initially declared the winner of the disputed gubernatorial election of 1899, but the Kentucky General Assembly, dominated by the Democrats, reversed the election results, giving the victory to his Democratic opponent, William Goebel. Thus, Taylor served only 50 days as governor.
A poorly educated but politically astute lawyer, Taylor began climbing the political ladder by holding local offices in his native
When the General Assembly reversed the election results after a dispute, incensed Republicans armed themselves and descended on
Early life
William Taylor was born October 10, 1853, in a log cabin on the Green River, about five miles from Morgantown, Kentucky.[1] He was the first child of Sylvester and Mary G. (Moore) Taylor.[2] He spent his early years working on the family farm, and did not attend school until age fifteen; thereafter, he attended the public schools of Butler County and studied at home.[3] In 1874, he began teaching, specializing in mathematics, history, and politics.[3] He taught until 1882, and later became a successful attorney, but continued to operate a farm.[2]
On February 10, 1878, Taylor married Sara ("Sallie") Belle Tanner. The couple had nine children, including six daughters and a son that survived infancy.[2]
Political career
Taylor's political career began in 1878 with an unsuccessful bid to become
Taylor became a member of the Republican Party in 1884.[5] In 1886, he was chosen to represent the third district on the Republican state central committee.[4] That same year, the party nominated a full slate of candidates for county offices, including Taylor as the nominee for county judge.[4] In the ensuing elections, the full Republican slate was elected.[4] Taylor was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1888.[5] He was re-elected as county judge in 1890.[4]
In 1895, Taylor was elected
Gubernatorial election of 1899
Bradley's election in 1895 had marked the first time in Kentucky's history that the Commonwealth had elected a Republican governor. Angry Democrats, who had controlled the governorship since the fall of the Whig Party in 1855, sought to regain what they had lost. Bitter divisions in the party led to a contentious convention that nominated William Goebel as the party candidate. A faction of the Democratic Party held a second nominating convention and chose former governor John Y. Brown as their nominee.[10]
The Republicans were initially no less divided than the Democrats.
During the campaign, Taylor was attacked by Democratic opponents because of his party's support from black voters and its ties to big business, including the Louisville and Nashville Railroad.[12] They also charged that Governor Bradley had run a corrupt administration.[12] Republicans answered with charges of factionalism and use of political machinery by Democrats.[12] In particular, they derided the Goebel Election Law, which Taylor claimed subverted the will of the people.[13]
Ex-
Governorship and later life
In the general election, Taylor secured just 2,383 more votes than Goebel.[12] The Democrat-controlled General Assembly challenged the election results.[12] Under the Goebel Election Law, a three-man Board of Elections (dominated by Democrats) were to review the results and certify the winner in the contest.[19] Two of the members of the board had openly campaigned for Goebel, and all three owed their appointments to him, but in a surprising decision, the board voted 2–1 to certify Taylor as the winner.[19]
The board claimed that the Goebel Election Law did not give them the power to hear proof of vote fraud or call witnesses, although the wording of their decision implied that they would have invalidated Taylor votes if they had been empowered to do so.[20] Taylor was inaugurated on December 12, 1899.[12] Days later, the Democratic-dominated General Assembly convened in Frankfort.[20] They claimed the power to decide disputed elections, and formed a partisan commission (ten Democrats and one Republican) to examine the election results.[21]
Fearing Democrats in the Assembly would "steal" the election, armed men came to Frankfort from various areas of the state, primarily
With Goebel dead, Democrats and Republicans met jointly and drafted a proposal to bring peace. Under terms of the proposal, Taylor and his lieutenant governor,
On March 10, 1900, the
Taylor was indicted as an accessory in the assassination of Goebel. He fled to Indianapolis, where the governor refused to extradite him. At least one attempt to abduct him by force failed in 1901. Despite being pardoned in 1909 by Republican Governor Augustus E. Willson, Taylor seldom returned to Kentucky.[25]
Financially strapped by the costs of challenging the election, Taylor became an insurance executive and practiced law. Shortly after arriving in Indiana, his wife died. In 1912, he briefly returned to Kentucky to marry Nora A. Myers. The couple returned to Indianapolis and had a son together. Taylor died of heart disease on August 2, 1928, and was buried at the Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.[25]
See also
References
- ^ Hughes, p. 54
- ^ a b c Klotter, p. 131
- ^ a b c d e Battle, et al.
- ^ a b c d e Hughes, p. 55
- ^ a b c NGA Bio
- ^ a b Tapp, pp. 370–371
- ^ Tapp, p. 370
- ^ a b Tapp, p. 371
- ^ a b Tapp, p. 373
- ^ Powell, p. 74
- ^ Tapp, pp. 425–426
- ^ a b c d e f Harrison, p. 870
- ^ Tapp, p. 432
- ^ Tapp, p. 434
- ^ John L. Sandford brief biography, accessed March 10, 2017
- ^ Tapp, p. 435
- ^ a b Tapp, p. 436
- ^ a b Tapp, p. 437
- ^ a b Tapp, p. 443
- ^ a b Tapp, p. 444
- ^ Tapp, p. 445
- ^ Klotter, pp. 132–133
- ^ Tapp, p. 451
- ^ Tapp, p. 451–453
- ^ a b Klotter, p. 133
Bibliography
- Battle; Perrin; Kniffin (1885). Kentucky: A History of the State (2nd ed.). Retrieved September 12, 2007.
- ISBN 0-8131-1772-0.
- Hughes, Robert Elkin; Frederick William Schaefer; Eustace Leroy Williams (1900). That Kentucky campaign: or, The law, the ballot and the people in the Goebel-Taylor contest. R. Clarke Company. Retrieved March 9, 2010.
- "Kentucky Governor William Sylvester Taylor". National Governors Association. Retrieved September 12, 2007.
- ISBN 0-8131-2326-7.
- Powell, Robert A. (1976). Kentucky Governors. ASIN B0006CPOVM.
- Tapp, Hambleton; ISBN 0-916968-05-7. Retrieved June 26, 2009.
External links