Representative Alexander Wilson Taylor

Alexander Wilson Taylor (March 22, 1815 – May 7, 1893) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. Born in Indiana, Pennsylvania, on March 22, 1815, he spent his early life in the community that would remain his home throughout his career. Little is recorded about his family background, but his subsequent educational and professional pursuits reflect the opportunities available to a young man in western Pennsylvania in the early nineteenth century.

Taylor pursued classical studies and attended the Indiana Academy in his hometown, where he received his early formal education. Seeking advanced instruction, he enrolled at Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, an institution known for training many future professionals and public officials. He later studied law at the Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, one of the nation’s prominent legal training centers at the time. Upon completion of his legal studies, he was admitted to the bar in 1841 and commenced the practice of law in Indiana, Pennsylvania.

In addition to his legal practice, Taylor quickly became involved in local public affairs. He served as clerk of the court of Indiana County, Pennsylvania, from 1845 to 1848, a position that placed him at the administrative center of the county’s judicial system and provided him with practical experience in legal procedure and public administration. His work as clerk helped establish his reputation in the community and laid the groundwork for his later political career.

Taylor entered state-level politics as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, serving in the sessions of 1859 and 1860. As a legislator in Harrisburg on the eve of the Civil War, he participated in deliberations during a period of mounting national tension, representing the interests of his district while aligning with the emerging Republican Party. His service in the state legislature further developed his legislative skills and broadened his political connections within Pennsylvania.

Building on his state legislative experience, Taylor was elected as a Republican to the Forty-third Congress and served as a Representative from Pennsylvania in the United States House of Representatives from March 4, 1873, to March 3, 1875. His single term in Congress occurred during the Reconstruction era, a significant period in American history marked by efforts to restore the Union and define the rights of newly freed African Americans. As a member of the House of Representatives, Alexander Wilson Taylor contributed to the legislative process, participated in the democratic governance of the nation, and represented the interests of his Pennsylvania constituents within the federal government.

After completing his one term in Congress, Taylor did not seek or did not secure immediate further federal office and returned to Indiana, Pennsylvania, where he resumed the practice of law. He continued to be regarded as a respected member of the local bar and community, drawing on decades of legal and legislative experience. His post-congressional years were spent in professional work and local civic life in the town where he had been born and where he had built his career.

Alexander Wilson Taylor died in Indiana, Pennsylvania, on May 7, 1893. He was interred in Greenwood Cemetery in Indiana, bringing to a close a life closely tied to his native community and marked by service at the county, state, and national levels.