Joseph D. Taylor
Encyclopedia
Joseph Danner 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 Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

.

Biography

Joseph D. Taylor was born in Goshen Township
Goshen Township, Clermont County, Ohio
Goshen Township is one of the fourteen townships of Clermont County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 13,663 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northern part of the county, it borders the following townships:...

, in Clermont County
Clermont County, Ohio
Clermont County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States, just east of Cincinnati. As of 2010, the population was 197,363. Its county seat is Batavia...

, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

. Taylor attended public schools in Clermont County and later attended Madison College at Antrim, obtaining a teaching degree.

Taylor taught in Fairview High School from 1854 to 1856, and became principal in 1857. He sought a new revenue for his talents and was accepted at Cincinnati Law College, now known as the University of Cincinnati College of Law
University of Cincinnati College of Law
The University of Cincinnati College of Law is the fourth oldest continually running law school in the United States and a founding member of the Association of American Law Schools. It was started in 1833 as the Cincinnati Law School...

, where he obtained his Juris Doctorate in 1860. 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 1859.

Taylor was impressed by his time in Guernsey County that he bought property in Cambridge
Cambridge, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,520 people, 4,924 households, and 2,954 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,055.1 people per square mile . There were 5,585 housing units of an average density of 996.3 per square mile...

 and lived in a simple wood-frame home on Wheeling Avenue. He would later construct his elegant Queen Anne Style home
Colonel Joseph Taylor House
The Colonel Joseph Taylor House is located at 633 Upland Road in Cambridge, Ohio. The house was listed in the National Register on 2008-08-29.The house was built by Samuel Hannaford for Colonel Joseph Danner Taylor, an influential 19th century educator, attorney, business leader, and politician. Col...

 in 1878 on Upland Drive and constructed the Berwick Hotel
Berwick Hotel
The Berwick Hotel is located on the northeast corner of Wheeling Avenue and Sixth Street and was built in 1887 for Colonel Joseph D. Taylor in the Second Empire style. The building was placed on the National Register on 1983-03-29.-History:...

 on the site of the house on Wheeling Avenue. In 1860 he opened his law practice and in 1861 started the Guernsey Times Newspaper. He would remain owner until 1871. Taylor rose in prominence as he made a name for himself in the courts as well as his newspaper articles. Leading up to the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

, Taylor ran articles denouncing slavery and called for negotiation to eliminate the practice.

Military service

Joining the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...

 during the Civil War he entered as a captain in the 88th Ohio Infantry
88th Ohio Infantry
The 88th Ohio Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was initially known as the "1st Battalion Governor's Guard".-Service:...

. Taylor became a judge advocate
Judge Advocate General's Corps
Judge Advocate General's Corps, also known as JAG or JAG Corps, refers to the legal branch or specialty of the U.S. Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, and Navy. Officers serving in the JAG Corps are typically called Judge Advocates. The Marine Corps and Coast Guard do not maintain separate JAG Corps...

 from 1863 until 1865, when hostilities between the states ended. Taylor also served as a prosecuting attorney for Guernsey County from 1863 to 1866.

Political service

Taylor soon turned to the public welfare by entering politics. He served as delegate to the National Union Convention
National Union Convention
The National Union Convention was held on August 14, 15 , and 16 1866, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.The convention was called in advance of the mid-year elections of 1866 in an attempt to help president Johnson,...

 in 1866, joined the Cambridge School Board
Cambridge High School (Cambridge, Ohio)
Cambridge High School is a public high school in Cambridge, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Cambridge City Schools district. Their nickname is the Bobcats. The school colors are blue and white...

 from 1870 to 1877, and even served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...

s in 1876 and 1880.

Taylor was elected as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 to the Forty-seventh
47th United States Congress
The Forty-seventh 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, 1881 to March 4, 1883, during the administration...

 Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Jonathan T. Updegraff
Jonathan T. Updegraff
Jonathan Taylor Updegraff was a U.S. Representative from Ohio.-Biography:Born near Mount Pleasant, Ohio, he descendant of the german Op den Graeff family. Jonathan was the son of David Updegraff, a Quaker minister, and grandson of Nathan Updegraff, a delegate to Ohio's first constitutional...

. During his reelection he was voted into 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...

 Congress and served until 1885, when he lost another reelection bid. This set-back did not stop him as he campaigned and successfully won his bid to the Fiftieth
50th United States Congress
The Fiftieth 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, 1887 to March 4, 1889, during the third and fourth...

, Fifty-first
51st United States Congress
The Fifty-first United States Congress, referred to by some critics as the Billion Dollar 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...

, and Fifty-second
52nd United States Congress
The Fifty-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...

 Congresses and served from March 4, 1887 until March 3, 1893.

Taylor retired from politics but remained an influential force in the development and growth of Guernsey County and Cambridge in particular. He died in Cambridge, Ohio
Cambridge, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,520 people, 4,924 households, and 2,954 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,055.1 people per square mile . There were 5,585 housing units of an average density of 996.3 per square mile...

, September 19, 1899 and was interred in the South Cemetery.

External links

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