Thomas Nicholls Taylor (July 28, 1868 – October 24, 1950) was an American businessman, politician and civic and religious leader. He was mayor of

Provo, Utah Provo ( ) is the fourth-largest city in Utah, United States. It is south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the largest city and county seat of Utah County and is home to Brigham Young University (BYU). Provo lies between the ...

, from 1900 to 1903. Thomas N

Taylor was born in Provo, Utah, to George Taylor Sr. and his wife Eliza Nicholls. George Taylor Sr. was involved in multiple business ventures in Provo. Thomas Taylor attended

Brigham Young Academy Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

, taking classes with men such as

Karl G. Maeser Karl Gottfried Maeser (January 16, 1828 – February 15, 1901) was a prominent Utah educator and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He served 16 years as principal of Brigham Young Academy. Although h ...

. He left school in 1885 and went into business. In that year he and Julius Jensen founded a jewelry shop in Provo. They operated out of the same building as George Taylor Sr.'s Taylor Furniture Company. In 1890, Taylor became manager of the Taylor Brothers Business, the furniture business that his father had previously owned, and he was general manager of the business until his death. He also served as a member of the board of directors of the Provo Building and Loan Company, Beneficial Life Insurance Company and the Home Fire Insurance Company of Utah. He was also a director of the Provo Woolen Mills, the Mapleton Sugar Company and Farmers and Merchants Bank of Provo. He suffered significant losses in all these ventures, especially the bank when it collapsed in 1932 and he along with the other stock holders absorbed the losses to pay off the depositors. Taylor also had a 52-acre farm and orchard in what is now

Orem, Utah Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the northern part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Lindon, and Vineyard and is approximately south of Salt Lake City. Orem is one of the principal cities of the Provo-Orem, Utah Me ...

. Taylor served as a

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

(LDS Church), presiding over the Provo 3rd

Ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

for 19 years. He was

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

of the

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

Stake Stake may refer to: Entertainment * '' Stake: Fortune Fighters'', a 2003 video game * ''The Stake'', a 1915 silent short film * "The Stake", a 1977 song by The Steve Miller Band from '' Book of Dreams'' * ''Stakes'' (miniseries), a Cartoon Netw ...

, consisting of the City of Provo, from 1919 to 1939. From 1939 until his death he was the

patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certai ...

of the Provo Stake. BYU HLE

Taylor ran as the Democratic candidate for Governor of Utah in 1920, losing the general election to Charles R. Mabey. He was a member of the

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

(BYU) Board of Trustees from 1921 to 1939 and chairman of the boards executive committee and vice president of the board for much of the time. Taylor married Maud Rogers in 1889 in the

Manti Temple Manti or Manty may refer to: Places * Manti, Iowa, a defunct Mormon settlement * Manti, Utah, a city, named for the city of Manti in the Book of Mormon * Manti National Forest, formerly Manti Forest Reserve, in Colorado and Utah * Manti (crater) ...

. They were the parents of nine children. Thomas N. Taylor House in Provo is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. Taylor Hall in

Helaman Halls The Book of Mormon mentions three men named Helaman ( ). The first was the son of King Benjamin, king of the united Nephite-Zarahemla kingdom who lived in the 2nd century BC. Besides his genealogy, information about the first Helaman is limite ...

, a dormitory complex at BYU, is named for Taylor.

References

Biography of Taylor
* Ernest L. Wilkinson, ed., ''Brigham Young University: The First 100 Years'' (Provo: BYU Press, 1975) Vol. 2 p. 358, 738, 774. *

Andrew Jenson Andrew Jenson, born Anders Jensen, (December 11, 1850 – November 18, 1941) was a Danish immigrant to the United States who acted as an Assistant Church Historian of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for much of the ea ...

, ''LDS Biographical Encyclopedia'', Vol. 1, p. 494–495. {{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Thomas N. 1868 births 1950 deaths American leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Brigham Young Academy alumni Mayors of Provo, Utah Patriarchs (LDS Church) Utah Democrats Latter Day Saints from Utah Businesspeople from Utah