Edward Robeson Taylor (September 24, 1838 – July 5, 1923) was the 28th

Mayor of San Francisco The mayor of the City and County of San Francisco is the head of the executive branch of the San Francisco city and county government. The officeholder has the duty to enforce city laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by t ...

, serving from July 16, 1907, to January 7, 1910.

Early life

Edward Robeson Taylor was born on September 24, 1838, in

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest o ...

, the only son of Henry West Taylor and the former Mary Thaw of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

(he was descended on his mother's side from the early colonial merchant, Andrew Robeson, of Philadelphia). Taylor was a lawyer and a poet, who moved to California to escape the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. In 1898, he published a book of

sonnet A sonnet is a poetic form that originated in the poetry composed at the Court of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in the Sicilian city of Palermo. The 13th-century poet and notary Giacomo da Lentini is credited with the sonnet's invention, ...

s based on the paintings of William Keith.

Mayor of San Francisco

On July 16, 1907, Taylor was appointed mayor following the resignation of

Charles Boxton Charles Boxton (April 24, 1860 in Shasta County, California – August 29, 1927 in San Mateo, California) served as the 27th mayor of San Francisco for seven days, from July 9 to July 16, 1907. He attended the San Francisco public schools and t ...

, who served only eight days after the conviction and removal of

Eugene Schmitz Eugene Edward Schmitz (August 22, 1864 – November 20, 1928), often referenced as "Handsome Gene" Schmitz, was an American musician and politician, the 26th mayor of San Francisco (1902-7), who was in office during the 1906 San Francisco earthqu ...

. At 68 years of age, he became the city's oldest mayor (a record he still holds as of 2021). Taylor was elected to a full two-year term that fall, defeating three other candidates (including future mayor

P. H. McCarthy Patrick Henry McCarthy (March 17, 1863 – July 1, 1933), generally known as P. H. McCarthy and sometimes, more jocularly, as "Pinhead", was an influential labor leader in San Francisco and the 29th Mayor of the City from 1910 to 1912. Born i ...

) with just over half the vote. He declined to run again in 1909, and would be the last member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

to lead San Francisco for over half a century (until

John F. Shelley John Francis Shelley (September 3, 1905 – September 1, 1974) was a U.S. politician. He served as the 35th mayor of San Francisco, from 1964 to 1968, the first Democrat elected to the office in 50 years, and the first in an unbroken lin ...

was elected in 1963).

Legacy

Edward Robeson Taylor died in San Francisco on July 5, 1923. His remains are housed at the San Francisco Columbarium. The political economist

Henry George Henry George (September 2, 1839 – October 29, 1897) was an American political economist and journalist. His writing was immensely popular in 19th-century America and sparked several reform movements of the Progressive Era. He inspired the eco ...

credits Taylor for influencing his work on ''

Progress and Poverty ''Progress and Poverty: An Inquiry into the Cause of Industrial Depressions and of Increase of Want with Increase of Wealth: The Remedy'' is an 1879 book by social theorist and economist Henry George. It is a treatise on the questions of why pover ...

'', one of the most popular and influential books in American history. In September, 1925 the name of San Francisco's Portola Elementary School was changed to Edward Robeson Taylor Elementary School to honor him. San Francisco Chronicle, September 2, 1925, page 12, column 1

Notes

References

Exhibition spotlights career...
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External links

*
San Francisco Unified School District's page for E.R. Taylor Elementary School
1838 births 1923 deaths Mayors of San Francisco Politicians from Springfield, Illinois California Democrats {{California-mayor-stub