William R. Taylor

William Robert Taylor (born July 10, 1820 in Woodbury , Connecticut , † March 17, 1909 in Dane County , Wisconsin ) was an American politician and from 1874 to 1876 the twelfth governor of the state of Wisconsin.

Early years and political advancement

After the early death of his parents, William Taylor grew up as an orphan. He was raised by neighbors who placed him on a farm in New York State . Taylor moved to Ohio in his 20s . There he worked as a teacher and farmer. At times he studied medicine. He then moved to Cottage Grove in Wisconsin. In his new home parish he became a member and chairman of the parish council. He was also a member of the Dane County county council. He was also chairman of this body from time to time. At the same time he was the school representative of this district and chairman for the interests of the poorer citizens ( Superintendent of the Poor ).

Between 1860 and 1874 he was the curator of a hospital for the mentally handicapped in Mendota. Taylor was also a member and president of the Wisconsin Agricultural Association. In 1854, the Democrat was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly for one year . This was followed by two years in the State Senate . During the civil war , he politically represented the interests of the north . In 1873, he was elected governor of Wisconsin as the first Democrat since 1856. With 55.2 percent of the vote, he defeated the Republican incumbent Cadwallader C. Washburn .

Governor of wisconsin

Taylor began his two-year term on January 5, 1874. He campaigned for reforms and austerity measures. So he paid the cost of his inauguration out of pocket. He was just as much against free tickets for the privileged as he was against free telegrams. He managed to reduce household expenses. In part, however, this was also a result of job cuts in the public sector. Political pressure from parliament and the opposition forced him to act in the interests of the railway companies. That isolated him from his own party. This prevented him from being re-elected to the office of governor. Taylor became so impoverished that he became dependent on welfare and had to live in a government home. He died in 1909. He was married to Catherine Hurd, with whom he had three children.

According to him, Taylor County named in Wisconsin.

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personal data
SURNAME	Taylor, William R.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Taylor, William Robert
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician
DATE OF BIRTH	July 10, 1820
PLACE OF BIRTH	Woodbury , Connecticut
DATE OF DEATH	March 17, 1909
Place of death	Dane County , Wisconsin