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Steven W. Taylor (born June 7, 1949) is a former Chief Justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court. He is a former mayor of McAlester, Oklahoma. As a state district court judge, Taylor was the presiding judge in the state trial of the
Oklahoma City bombing The Oklahoma City bombing was a domestic terrorist truck bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, on April 19, 1995. Perpetrated by two anti-government extremists, Timothy McVeigh and Terry ...
.


Early life

Steven Taylor was born in
Henryetta, Oklahoma Henryetta is a city in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 5,927 at the 2010 census, down 9.6 percent from the figure of 6,096 recorded in 2000. History Hugh Henry established a ranch on Creek Nation land in 1885. He soo ...
. During his high school years at McAlester High School in McAlester, Oklahoma, he served as the student body president and as member of the speech and debate team, and the state and national honor societies. He earned a B.A. in political science from Oklahoma State University, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Oklahoma College of Law. While a student at OSU, he was actively involved in student government and honor society and was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity.


Career

From 1970 to 1978, Taylor served in the United States Marine Corps. Following his training as an infantry platoon commander, he served as a prosecutor, defense counsel, and ultimately as a Special Court Martial Judge. He became the youngest judge in the U.S. armed forces at the age of 28. He was later promoted to the rank of Major. In 1978, he married public school teacher Mary E. B. Taylor. They have one son, Wilson Taylor, who is the Director of Logistics for the Oklahoma City Thunder NBA team. Following a two-year stint on the McAlester City Council, he served as the city's youngest mayor from 1982 to 1984. In 1983 he was named one of the "Three Outstanding Young Oklahomans. In 1985, the City of McAlester named its new industrial park the "Steven W. Taylor Industrial Park" in recognition of his economic development efforts as mayor. In 1999 Taylor was recognized as "Citizen of the Year" in McAlester. The Oklahoma Bar Association granted him the "Award of Judicial Excellence" in 2003. He was inducted into the Oklahoma State University Hall of Fame in 2007. The University of Oklahoma presented Justice Taylor its Regents Alumni Award in 2009; with this award, he became the only person ever to receive the highest alumni recognition of both Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma. Taylor served for several years on the Board of Visitors of the University of Oklahoma College of Law and was named to the OU College of Law Hall of Fame in 2017. He is the co-author of ''University of Oklahoma College of Law: A Centennial History'' a book published in 2009 detailing the 100-year history of the OU law school. In April 2019 Governor Kevin Stitt appointed Justice Taylor to a nine-year term on the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and the Oklahoma Senate confirmed the appointment in May 2019. Taylor is a board member of the
Oklahoma Hall of Fame The Oklahoma Hall of Fame was founded in 1927 by Anna B. Korn to officially celebrate Statehood Day, recognize Oklahomans dedicated to their communities, and provide educational programming for all ages. The first Oklahoma Hall of Fame Induction Cer ...
. He also serves on the board of directors of the
Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF), located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institute. Established in 1946, OMRF is dedicated to understanding and developing more effective treatments for h ...
and is a past Chairman of the
Oklahoma City National Memorial The Oklahoma City National Memorial is a memorial in the United States that honors the victims, survivors, rescuers, and all who were affected by the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995. The memorial is located in downtown Oklahoma City on th ...
. He is Chairman of The Puterbaugh Foundation in McAlester, Oklahoma. In 2007, Oklahoma's centennial year, ''OKLAHOMA'' magazine named Justice Taylor as one of "100 Who Shaped Us" - a list of past and living Oklahomans who influenced the state's first 100 years. In 2009, Taylor received the highest recognition given to an Oklahoman, induction into the
Oklahoma Hall of Fame The Oklahoma Hall of Fame was founded in 1927 by Anna B. Korn to officially celebrate Statehood Day, recognize Oklahomans dedicated to their communities, and provide educational programming for all ages. The first Oklahoma Hall of Fame Induction Cer ...
.


Judicial career

From 1984 to 1994, Taylor served as Associate District Judge in the 18th Judicial District. In 1991 he was the first Associate District Judge ever to be elected President of the Oklahoma Judicial Conference. From 1994 to 2004, he served as Chief Judge of the 18th Judicial District, which encompasses Pittsburg and
McIntosh McIntosh, Macintosh, or Mackintosh ( Gaelic: ') may refer to: Products and brands * Mackintosh, a form of waterproof raincoat * Mackintosh's or John Mackintosh and Co., later Rowntree Mackintosh, former UK confectionery company now part of Nestl� ...
Counties. In his over 20 years as a trial judge, he presided over more than 500 jury trials, including numerous murder trials. Most notably, he presided over the state trial of the
Oklahoma City bombing The Oklahoma City bombing was a domestic terrorist truck bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, on April 19, 1995. Perpetrated by two anti-government extremists, Timothy McVeigh and Terry ...
case. That historic trial of 161 counts of first degree murder against Terry Nichols was conducted in McAlester, Oklahoma after a change of venue from Oklahoma City was ordered. Governor
Brad Henry Charles Bradford Henry (born July 10, 1963) is an American lawyer and politician who was the 26th governor of Oklahoma from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected governor in 2002. Henry won re-election for a second term ...
appointed Taylor to the Oklahoma Supreme Court in September 2004. He served a term as chief justice from January 2011 until January 2013. Oklahomans voted to retain him in the 2006 and 2010 general elections.2010 general election results
Oklahoma State Election Board (accessed April 17, 2022)
Justice Taylor retired from the Supreme Court on December 31, 2016 after 33 years of judicial service. After his retirement and in recognition of his long public service, the Pittsburg County Court buildings in McAlester, Oklahoma were named "The Justice Steven W. Taylor Courthouse Complex".


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Steven W. 1949 births Living people American jurists Chief Justices of the Oklahoma Supreme Court Mayors of places in Oklahoma Oklahoma City bombing People from McAlester, Oklahoma People from Henryetta, Oklahoma University of Oklahoma alumni University of Oklahoma College of Law alumni United States Marine Corps officers Military personnel from Oklahoma 20th-century American judges Oklahoma city council members County judges in Oklahoma