Robert Cowles Taylor (August 12, 1893 – December 20, 1955) was an American politician and

dentist A dentist, also known as a dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry (the diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the mouth, oral cavity and other aspects of the craniofaci ...

who served as the mayor of

Newport News, Virginia Newport News () is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the 5th most populous city in Virginia and 140th most populous city in the Uni ...

from 1942 to 1955.

Biography

Taylor was born in 1893, the son of Warren J. Taylor and Mary Isabel “Mamie” Eubank Taylor. Taylor worked for several years in the field of dentistry. In 1940, Taylor was elected to the Newport News City Council.

Mayor (1941-1955)

Taylor served as mayor of the city during World War II, at a time when the city's ports were used to send American troops to Europe to fight in the war. As was seen during World War I, this activity put a tremendous strain on the city's infrastructure, and Taylor was instrumental in seeing that the city continued to function despite the effort. At one point, several tens of thousands of homes, rooms and hotels would come under rent control imposed by Taylor. Taylor also served on the committee that planned the city's Golden Anniversary year in 1946 to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Newport News's incorporation as a city.

Personal life and death

Taylor was married to Ellen Longan Taylor, and they had 3 children. He was a member of the

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, profe ...

and a

Mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cut ...

. Taylor

died in office A death in office is the death of a person who was incumbent of an office-position until the time of death. Such deaths have been usually due to natural causes, but they are also caused by accidents, suicides, disease and assassinations. The de ...

in 1955 at the age of 62, after an illness of several months.

References

Mayors of Newport News, Virginia 1893 births 1955 deaths 20th-century American politicians {{Virginia-mayor-stub