Born in 1858 near Metamora, Illinois, Taylor's family moved to Kansas while he was still a child. In 1881 he graduated from high school in Leavenworth, Kansas, and shortly after moved to Leadville, Colorado, eventually becoming the principal of the Leadville high school. In 1882 Taylor attended the University of Michigan Law School, graduated in 1884, and was admitted to the Bar in that same year. Upon graduation Taylor came back to Leadville, and in 1885 he served as both the superintendent of schools and deputy district attorney for Lake County, Colorado. In 1887 he moved to Glenwood Springs, Colorado, where he established a private law firm. In 1896 he was elected to the Colorado State Senate, and served there until 1908. In 1908 he ran successfully for the U.S. House of Representatives, and served in that body for the next 32 years. Taylor served as chairman of the Committee on Irrigation of Arid Lands, as well as chairman of the Committee of Appropriations for three terms. He is best known for enacting the Taylor Grazing Act, which regulates the grazing of livestock on federal lands. He is also responsible for legislation changing the name of the Grand River to the Colorado River in 1921. Taylor died in Denver in 1941. The bulk of the material in this collection consists of speeches given by Taylor reprinted in various editions of the Congressional Record. Photographs transferred to the Photography Department. Gavels transferred to the Material Culture Department 1983 (26115).