John James Taylor was a U.S. Representative

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 New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

.

Education

Born in Leominster, Massachusetts

Leominster, Massachusetts

Leominster is a city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the second-largest city in Worcester County, with a population of 40,759 at the 2010 census. Leominster is located north of Worcester and west of Boston. Both Route 2 and Route 12 pass through Leominster. Interstate 190,...

, Taylor attended the common schools, New Ipswich Academy

New Ipswich Academy

New Ipswich Academy was a historic private academy in New Ipswich, New Hampshire, which operated from 1789 to 1968.-History:...

, and Groton Academy.
He graduated from Harvard University

Harvard University

Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...

 in 1829.
He engaged in teaching for a short time.
He moved to Troy, New York

Troy, New York

Troy is a city in the US State of New York and the seat of Rensselaer County. Troy is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany and Schenectady, forming a region popularly called the Capital...

, in 1830.
He studied law.
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...

 in 1834 and commenced practice in Greene, New York

Greene, New York

Greene, New York is the name of two places in Chenango County, New York:*Greene , New York*Greene , New York...

.
He moved to Owego, New York

Owego (village), New York

Owego is a village in and the county seat of Tioga County, New York, USA. The population was 3,911 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Binghamton Metropolitan Statistical Area...

, in 1834 and continued the practice of law.

Political career

He was appointed district attorney of Tioga County in 1838, and served until 1843, when he resigned.
He served as member of the village board of trustees in 1839, 1843, and 1848.
First chief engineer of the fire department in 1844.
He served as member of the State constitutional convention in 1846.
He was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1850 to the Thirty-second

32nd United States Congress

The Thirty-second 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, 1851 to March 3, 1853, during the third and...

 Congress.

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 Thirty-third

33rd United States Congress

The Thirty-third 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, 1853 to March 3, 1855, during the first two years...

 Congress (March 4, 1853-March 3, 1855).
He resumed the practice of his profession.
Tendered the appointment of commissioner to settle the northwestern boundary of the United States by President Franklin Pierce, but declined the position.
He was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor of New York in 1858.
He served as president of the village of Owego in 1859.
He engaged in banking.

Taylor was elected vice president and later president of the Southern Central Railway Co., later the Auburn division of the Lehigh Valley Railroad

Lehigh Valley Railroad

The Lehigh Valley Railroad was one of a number of railroads built in the northeastern United States primarily to haul anthracite coal.It was authorized April 21, 1846 in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and incorporated September 20, 1847 as the Delaware, Lehigh, Schuylkill and Susquehanna Railroad...

.
He died in Owego, New York

Owego (village), New York

Owego is a village in and the county seat of Tioga County, New York, USA. The population was 3,911 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Binghamton Metropolitan Statistical Area...

, July 1, 1892.
He was interred in Evergreen Cemetery.