Background
He was born March 2, 1822 in South Hadley, Massachusetts, one of ten children of Sylvester Taylor, a butcher (1793–1881) and Sarah Eaton (1793–1870).
He was born March 2, 1822 in South Hadley, Massachusetts, one of ten children of Sylvester Taylor, a butcher (1793–1881) and Sarah Eaton (1793–1870).
Starting in 1864, Taylor ran the Belcher & Taylor Agricultural Tool Company in Springfield. Prior to becoming Mayor, he was president of Chicopee Falls Savings Bank. When Chicopee, Massachusetts was first incorporated as a city in 1891, Taylor was elected mayor without opposition.
As a member of the Republican Party, Taylor served the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1860 to 1861 and the Massachusetts Senate in 1869.