Waller Taylor

Waller Taylor

Waller Taylor (* around 1779 in Lunenburg County , Virginia ; †  August 26, 1826 there ) was an American politician . He was one of the first two US Senators for the state of Indiana after it joined the Union.

Waller Taylor's exact year of birth is unknown. He spent his childhood in Virginia, where he attended public schools, studied law and subsequently practiced as a lawyer. Between 1800 and 1802 he held his first political mandate as a member of the Virginia House of Representatives.

In 1804 Taylor moved to Vincennes , Indiana , where he also ran a law firm. In 1807 he was appointed judge for the law of equity ( Chancellor ) at the territorial level; in the same year he joined the militia of the territory and rose to major there. He took part in clashes with Indians and was from 1809 to 1810 personal aide to William Henry Harrison during the fighting against Tecumseh , where he took part in the Battle of Tippecanoe . Taylor stayed in the military until the British-American War, when he was appointed Adjutant General and Supreme Military Commander of the Indiana Territory Forces.

Politically, Taylor was a proponent of slavery , which he believed should have been allowed in Indiana. The pro-slavery faction was in the minority in the territory, so that in 1812 his attempt to be elected as a delegate to the United States House of Representatives failed ; the mandate went to the future governor Jonathan Jennings . Taylor challenged this to a duel during the election campaign , but Jennings refused.

After the founding of the state of Indiana, Taylor, a member of the Democratic Republicans , and James Noble were sent to Washington, DC as the first two US Senators . The term of office of both politicians began on December 11, 1816, with Taylor standing for re-election in 1818. He won this and remained in Congress until March 3, 1825 . During this time the Democratic Republican Party split into several factions; Taylor joined the wing around John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay that later became the National Republican Party . After the end of his political career, Taylor returned to Virginia. He died the following year and was buried in Lunenburg .

Web links

• Waller Taylor in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• Waller Taylor in the database of Find a Grave (English)
• Waller Taylor at The Political Graveyard