| James Willis “J. Will” 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 | ||
| Spouse(s) | Mossie Emily Kincaid | ||
| 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.
Popular among constituents, Taylor dominated state GOP politics during the 1920s, when Republican-held presidencies caused all federal patronage in Tennessee to run through him.[2] He was accused of corruption by opponents who even tried to indict him via a grand jury, though such attempts failed to succeed.
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]
The landslide election of Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1932 presidential election ended most of Taylor's political influence, namely patronage.[2] He faced a strong challenge in his 1936 re-election bid from Democrat John T. O'Connor, and only won by two percentage points.[7]
Death in office
Although considered healthy,[8] Taylor suffered a heart attack in mid-November 1939 and died while in office at the age of fifty-nine,[2] resulting in an outpouring of grief from shocked constituents whom he was beloved among.[8] Controversy also emerged afterwards, with reports of his federal office building being ransacked. Although his older daughter Elizabeth managed to recover some personal papers, others were taken away and privately kept by his youngest daughter Katheryne. At the same time, a number of Republicans considered running for the seat to succeed Taylor.[2] These included John Jennings, Jr., Howard Baker, Sr., and his daughter Elizabeth, who asserted support and encouragement for her potential candidacy as having been:
| “ | ...a great tribute to my Daddy for his friends to want me to fill out his unexpired term in Congress. | ” |
Jennings ultimately succeeded Taylor and was re-elected several times before being defeated for renomination by Baker, the father of later U.S. senator Howard Henry Baker, Jr.
Legacy
An elevator operator and janitor who knew Taylor for nearly two decades said of the deceased representative:[8]
| “ | Congressman Taylor was never too busy to talk to the lowliest man here about any personal problem, and help however he could. When I told him sometime ago that I was planning to buy a little place of my own he said that was a wonderful idea. He went with me two or three times to look at places. And when I finally decided on one Mr. Taylor talked to the owner and helped work out terms that I could meet. | ” |
References
- ↑ Taylor, J.. The Political Graveyard. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 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.
- ↑ TN - District 02 Race - Nov 03, 1936. Our Campaigns. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Hill, Ray (August 26, 2018). The Mystery After J. Will Taylor’s Death, I. The Knoxville Focus. Retrieved August 5, 2021.