Richard Ray Taylor (November 21, 1922 – November 8, 1978) was a

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

in the

United States military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

and served as the 33rd

Surgeon General of the United States Army The Surgeon General of the United States Army is the senior-most officer of the U.S. Army Medical Department (AMEDD). By policy, the Surgeon General (TSG) serves as Commanding General, U.S. Army Medical Command (MEDCOM) as well as head of the ...

Biography

Early life and education

Born on November 21, 1922, in

Prairieburg, Iowa Prairieburg is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States. The population was 160 at the time of the 2020 census. It is part of the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Prairieburg was laid out in 2021. Geography Prairieburg is ...

. He was raised in the small town of Norton, Kansas. His father and two of his four brothers were physicians. His father, Charles Fletcher Taylor, MD was the Superintendent of the State Sanatorium for Tuberculosis, where his brother, David Taylor, MD also served on staff for a time. His mother, Harriet Taylor, was Kansas mother of the year. Dr. Taylor was one of eight siblings. His youngest brother, Danny, died in an automobile accident while he was an architecture student at the University of Kansas. Richard Taylor graduated with a BS from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

in 1944 and later from the

University of Chicago School of Medicine The Pritzker School of Medicine is the Doctor of Medicine, M.D.-granting unit of the Biological Sciences Division of the University of Chicago. It is located on the university's main campus in the historic Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighbo ...

with his MD in 1946.

Military career

He worked his way up in ranks in the army from

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

in 1946 to Colonel in 1964, and eventually to Surgeon General of the US Army in October 1973. He was also in charge of M.A.S.H. units in Vietnam.

Later life

He died on November 8, 1978, at Arlington Hospital (now known as Virginia Hospital Center) in

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county is ...

. His first wife died of polio in 1949. He is survived by his wife, Frances Colby Taylor, his daughter, Carolyn Jean, and his four sons, Richard Ray Jr., Colby Fletcher, Bryan Dudley, and David Webster.

Recognition

Lieutenant General Richard R. Taylor's ribbon bar:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Richard R. United States Army generals Surgeons General of the United States Army Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Distinguished Service Order (Vietnam) People from Cedar Rapids, Iowa 1922 births 1978 deaths University of Chicago alumni 20th-century American physicians Pritzker School of Medicine alumni Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Military personnel from Iowa