John May Taylor
Encyclopedia
John May Taylor was a U.S. Representative
from Tennessee
.
, Taylor attended the Male Academy in Lexington and the Union University
, Murfreesboro, Tennessee
. He was graduated from Cumberland School of Law
at Cumberland University
, Lebanon, Tennessee
, in 1861.
He was admitted to the bar
the same year and commenced practice in Lexington.
Enlisted in the Confederate States Army
.
He was elected first lieutenant in June 1861 and promoted to captain.
Taylor was elected major in the Twenty-seventh Tennessee Regiment in 1862. He served as mayor of Lexington in 1869 and 1870. He served as delegate to the State constitutional convention of Tennessee in 1870. He was the Attorney General of the eleventh judicial circuit of Tennessee in 1870 to 1878. He served as delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1880. He served as member of the State house of representatives in 1881 and 1882.
Taylor was elected as a Democrat
to the Forty-eighth
and Forty-ninth
Congresses (March 4, 1883-March 3, 1887). He served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of the Navy (Forty-ninth Congress). He served as member of the State senate in 1892. He resumed the practice of law. He was appointed judge of the criminal court for the eleventh judicial circuit in 1895 and subsequently elected for a six-year term, serving until the court was abolished.
Taylor was elected in August 1902 as a judge of the court of chancery appeals (name changed to court of civil appeals by the legislature). He was reelected in 1910 for a period of eight years and served until his death.
, February 17, 1911. He was interred in Lexington Cemetery.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
.
Career
Born in Lexington, TennesseeLexington, Tennessee
Lexington is a city in Henderson County, Tennessee, United States. Lexington is midway between Memphis and Nashville, lying ten miles south of Interstate 40, which connects the two cities. The population was 7,393 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Henderson County...
, Taylor attended the Male Academy in Lexington and the Union University
Union University
Union University is a private, evangelical Christian, liberal arts university located in Jackson, Tennessee, with additional campuses in Germantown, Tennessee, and Hendersonville, Tennessee...
, Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Murfreesboro is a city in and the county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 108,755 according to the United States Census Bureau's 2010 U.S. Census, up from 68,816 residents certified during the 2000 census. The center of population of Tennessee is located in...
. He was graduated from Cumberland School of Law
Cumberland School of Law
Cumberland School of Law is an ABA accredited law school at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. The 11th oldest law school in the United States, it is 160 years old and has more than 11,000 graduates. Its alumni include two United States Supreme Court Justices; Nobel Peace Prize recipient...
at Cumberland University
Cumberland University
Cumberland University is a private university in Lebanon, Tennessee, United States. It was founded in 1842, though the current campus buildings were constructed between 1892 and 1896.-History:...
, Lebanon, Tennessee
Lebanon, Tennessee
Lebanon is a city in Wilson County, Tennessee, in the United States. The population was 20,235 at the 2000 census. It serves as the county seat of Wilson County. Lebanon is located in middle Tennessee, approximately 25 miles east of downtown Nashville. Local residents have also called it...
, in 1861.
He was admitted to the bar
Admission to the bar in the United States
In the United States, admission to the bar is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. Each U.S. state and similar jurisdiction has its own court system and sets its own rules for bar admission , which can lead to different admission...
the same year and commenced practice in Lexington.
Enlisted in the Confederate States Army
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
.
He was elected first lieutenant in June 1861 and promoted to captain.
Taylor was elected major in the Twenty-seventh Tennessee Regiment in 1862. He served as mayor of Lexington in 1869 and 1870. He served as delegate to the State constitutional convention of Tennessee in 1870. He was the Attorney General of the eleventh judicial circuit of Tennessee in 1870 to 1878. He served as delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1880. He served as member of the State house of representatives in 1881 and 1882.
Taylor was elected as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
to the Forty-eighth
48th United States Congress
The Forty-eighth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1883 to March 4, 1885, during the last two years...
and Forty-ninth
49th United States Congress
The Forty-ninth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1885 to March 4, 1887, during the first two years...
Congresses (March 4, 1883-March 3, 1887). He served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of the Navy (Forty-ninth Congress). He served as member of the State senate in 1892. He resumed the practice of law. He was appointed judge of the criminal court for the eleventh judicial circuit in 1895 and subsequently elected for a six-year term, serving until the court was abolished.
Taylor was elected in August 1902 as a judge of the court of chancery appeals (name changed to court of civil appeals by the legislature). He was reelected in 1910 for a period of eight years and served until his death.
Death
He died in Lexington, TennesseeLexington, Tennessee
Lexington is a city in Henderson County, Tennessee, United States. Lexington is midway between Memphis and Nashville, lying ten miles south of Interstate 40, which connects the two cities. The population was 7,393 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Henderson County...
, February 17, 1911. He was interred in Lexington Cemetery.