Robin L. Taylor (born February 5, 1943) is a lawyer from the U.S. state of Alaska. He has also served as a judge, government administrator and

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

politician. It is in this latter capacity that he is best known. Taylor served in the Alaska Legislature from 1985 to 2003. Running for

governor of Alaska A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...

in 1998 in a

blanket primary The blanket primary is a system used for selecting political party candidates in a primary election, used in Argentina and historically in the United States. In a blanket primary, voters may pick one candidate for each office without regard to par ...

, Taylor was outpolled by

John Lindauer John Howard Lindauer II (born November 20, 1937) is an American economist who served as chancellor for the University of Alaska Anchorage from 1976 to 1978 then was Dean of the School of Business and Public Affairs. He was the Republican Party (Un ...

for the Republican nomination. When questions arose over the source of Lindauer's campaign monies, Taylor reemerged as a write-in candidate for the office backed by the

Republican Party of Alaska Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, who had disowned Lindauer. While Taylor outpolled Lindauer in the general election, both candidacies fell far behind that of incumbent Tony Knowles, who was elected to a second term.

Early life

Robin L. Taylor was born in Sedro Woolley, Washington on February 5, 1943. Taylor moved to Ketchikan, Alaska in 1961 and later began college studies, earning a B.A. from the University of Washington in 1965, an M.A. from the

Oregon College of Education Western Oregon University (WOU) is a public university in Monmouth, Oregon. It was originally established in 1856 by Disciples of Christ pioneers as Monmouth University. Subsequent names included Oregon State Normal School, Oregon College of Ed ...

in 1966 and a J.D. from Willamette University in 196

Taylor served on the Ketchikan city council and Ketchikan Gateway Borough assembly from 1973 to 1976, including as vice-mayor of the city from 1974 to 1975. Taylor was appointed to a Wrangell-based judgeship of the

Alaska District Court The Alaska Court System is the unified, centrally administered, and totally state-funded judicial system for the state of Alaska. The Alaska District Courts are the primary misdemeanor trial courts, the Alaska Superior Courts are the primary felony ...

by governor Jay Hammond on December 23, 1976, besting one other applicant. He subsequently moved to Wrangell, where he resides today. Taylor served as a district judge in Alaska from 1977 to 1982, a representative in the Alaska State Legislature from 1984 to 1992, and as a senator in the Alaska State Legislature from 1992 to 199

1998 gubernatorial campaign

In 1998, Democratic Party (United States), Democratic incumbent

Governor of Alaska A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...

Tony Knowles ran for re-election against newspaper publisher

John Howard Lindauer John Howard Lindauer II (born November 20, 1937) is an American economist who served as chancellor for the University of Alaska Anchorage from 1976 to 1978 then was Dean of the School of Business and Public Affairs. He was the Republican Party ca ...

, the Republican nominee. Controversy surrounding Lindauer's misrepresentation of information in campaign finance documents, his strong anti-

gay rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, , 3 ...

stances, and whether he met the residency requirements caused his campaign to nearly collapse. One week before the election, Taylor announced that he was launching a write-in campaign as an alternative Republican candidate for governor. Taylor split the Republican vote with Lindauer, earning 18.26% to his 17.86%. Knowles was re-elected in a landslide.

Later career

He was also appointed deputy commissioner of the

Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities The Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (DOT&PF) is a department within the government of Alaska. Its headquarters are in Alaska's capital city, Juneau. The mission of Alaska DOT&PF is to "''Keep Alaska Moving through service a ...

by then-Governor of Alaska

Frank H. Murkowski Frank Hughes Murkowski (born March 28, 1933) is an American politician and a member of the Republican Party. He was a United States Senator from Alaska from 1981 until 2002 and the eighth governor of Alaska from 2002 until 2006. In his 2006 re-e ...

and served until Alaska Governor

Sarah Palin Sarah Louise Palin (; Heath; born February 11, 1964) is an American politician, commentator, author, and reality television personality who served as the ninth governor of Alaska from 2006 until her resignation in 2009. She was the 2008 R ...

decided to replace him with Dennis L. Hardy in February 200

External links

Robin Taylor
at ''100 Years of Alaska's Legislature'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Robin L. 1943 births Alaska city council members Alaska state court judges Republican Party Alaska state senators Living people Republican Party members of the Alaska House of Representatives People from Ketchikan, Alaska People from Sedro-Woolley, Washington People from Wrangell, Alaska University of Washington alumni Western Oregon University alumni Willamette University College of Law alumni