Alfred Alexander Taylor was an American politician and lecturer.
Background
Taylor was born in the Happy Valley community of Carter County, Tennessee, in 1848. He was the third of the nine children of Nathaniel Green and Emmeline (Haynes) Taylor, was born in Happy Valley, Carter County, Tenn. His ancestors on his mother's side were among the founders of the Watauga settlement in 1769, and were leaders in the establishment of the Watauga Association and in the government of the state of Franklin. His father, a graduate of the College of New Jersey (later Princeton), was a prominent lawyer, preacher, and Whig politician, who served both before and after the Civil War as representative in Congress from Tennessee.
Education
He was educated at Duffield Academy, Elizabethton, Tenn. , at Pennington Seminary, Pennington, N. J. , and at Buffalo Institute (later Milligan College), Milligan, Tenn.
Career
Taylor served briefly under his father in Washington, studied law, and, following his admission to the bar in 1870, established himself in Jonesboro, Tenn. Turning to politics almost immediately, he served as a member of the lower House of the Tennessee legislature in 1875-76. Because of his ready wit and his ability as a speaker he made such a strong popular appeal as a Republican campaigner in the state election of 1882 that he was selected by his party as its candidate for governor in 1886 in a futile effort to prevent the nomination of his brother, Robert Love Taylor by the Democrats. The result was a unique and picturesque political campaign in which the two brothers canvassed the state in joint debate, attracting widespread attention more because of their ability as entertainers than because of the issues involved in the campaign.
Soon labelled "Alf" and "Bob" by popular fancy, they waged a bloodless "War of the Roses" in which the weapons were droll anecdotes, scintillating repartee, and a matching of their skill as fiddlers. When "Bob" won the election, "Alf" returned to his law practice, and in 1888 was elected representative in Congress from the first Tennessee district, serving in this capacity from March 1889 to March 1895. Upon his retirement from Congress, he joined his brother in a lyceum lecture tour of the United States, and later divided his time between his law practice and frequent lecture engagements until the Republican landslide of 1920 brought his election to the governorship. After serving one term (1921 - 23) as governor, he was defeated for reelection and retired to his home near Johnson City, Tenn. , where he spent the remainder of his life.
Achievements
Connections
He was married on June 22, 1881, to Jennie Anderson of Buffalo Valley, Tenn. , by whom he had ten children.