Taylor was educated at local academies and later graduated from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton). He was a successful planter and lawyer, but spent much of his adult life in politics. He represented Saxe Gotha and Richland Districts in the General Assembly and in 1806 was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1810 Taylor was elected to the U.S. Senate where he was the author of the famed Macon's Bill # 2 which placed economic sanctions on those nations that violated American neutrality. Defeated for re-election, he returned to office two years later as Senator from Richland County and in 1826 was elected Governor. Like many of his fellow politicians, by the late 1820s John Taylor had abandoned his earlier nationalistic enthusiasm for states' rights.
"T" is for Taylor, John [1770-1832]
