| James Willis Taylor | |
|---|---|
| Former U.S. Representative from Tennessee's 2nd Congressional District From: March 4, 1919 – November 14, 1939 | |
| Predecessor | Richard W. Austin |
| Successor | John Jennings, Jr. |
| Information | |
| Party | Republican |
| Religion | Methodist[1] |
James Willis Taylor (August 28, 1880 – November 14, 1939), known as J. Will Taylor and "Hillbilly Bill",[2] was an eastern Tennessee Republican from Union County[3] who represented the state's 2nd congressional district for two decades in the United States House of Representatives. He previously was the chair of the GOP state executive committee for two years.
U.S. House of Representatives
Taylor ran for the House in the 1918 midterms, challenging incumbent Republican congressman Richard W. Austin. The latter's lack of popularity in the area led to an easy primary victory for Taylor,[2] who then handily won the general election by a landslide.[4] The second district of Tennessee has consistently been solidly Republican since the 1860s.
Like his GOP colleague B. Carroll Reece from the 1st congressional district, Taylor was largely pro-civil rights and supportive of anti-lynching legislation, voting for the Dyer bill in 1922[5] following the St. Louis race riots as well as the 1937 Gavagan-Wagner bill.[6]
References
- ↑ Taylor, J.. The Political Graveyard. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Hill, Ray (July 19, 2015). ‘Hillbilly Bill:’ Congressman J. Will Taylor. The Knoxville Focus. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
- ↑ Peters, Bonnie Heiskell (October 8, 2017). Union County. Tennessee Encyclopedia. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
- ↑ TN - District 02 Race - Nov 05, 1918. Our Campaigns. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
- ↑ TO PASS H. R. 13.. GovTrack.us. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
- ↑ TO PASS H. R. 1507, AN ANTI-LYNCHING BILL.. GovTrack.us. Retrieved August 5, 2021.