University of Virginia Library

JOHN TAYLOR "OF CAROLINE"

John Taylor, "of Caroline," was born at "Mill Hill" in
Caroline county in the year 1754. W. W. Scott, State Law
Librarian, member of the State Historical Society, and for ten
years State Librarian of Virginia, in his admirable "History of
Orange County, Virginia," says: "Nearly all the encyclopædias
allege that this eminent statesman was born in Orange. This
statement is, after most careful inquiry, ascertained to be an
error. The Taylor family of Orange was a distinguished one from
the beginning, which probably gave rise to the statement. A
letter from his grand-daughter, Mrs. Hubard, confirmed by his
great-grandson, Mr. Henry T. Wickham, seems to establish the
fact that his birthplace was at `Mill Hill Farm' in Caroline;
so Orange will have to resign this distinction."

He was orphaned at the early age of ten years and was adopted
by his maternal uncle, Edmund Pendleton, who at that time
had already become a famous man in the affairs of the nation.

Taylor was privately tutored in the home of his uncle, and
afterward entered the College of William and Mary, from which
institution he was graduated in 1770. Soon after graduation he
began the study of law in the office of Edmund Pendleton in

Bowling Green, and so closely did he apply himself to reading
and study that he passed the bar examinations and was licensed
to practice in 1774.

The public career of Taylor began during the political reformation
which was inaugurated by Patrick Henry and Richard Henry
Lee, in 1766, when these reformers exposed the corruption then
existing in the political life of Virginia, which expose was instrumental
in launching the campaign which finally broke down
the political dynasty which had existed in Virginia for a score
of years.

When Taylor had barely attained his majority his ardent
patriotism led him to enlist in the first brigade of Virginia troops,
under the command of Patrick Henry, whom he greatly admired.
Here he served acceptably for a time, and when Henry was
relieved of his command in favor of William Woodford, of Caroline,
a subordinate officer in the First Brigade, and a more experienced
soldier, Taylor, notwithstanding his resentment at the
change, remained loyal to the cause of American freedom and
saw service at the battle of Great Bridge in December, 1775,
under the where the combined forces of Virginia and North
Carolina, under the command of Woodford, won a brilliant
victory over the British.

Shortly after the battle of Great Bridge Taylor was elected a
Major by the Continental Congress and as such saw service in
the campaigns around the cities of Philadelphia and New
York.

Under the influence of Patrick Henry and Richard Henry Lee,
who sincerely believed Washington unfit for the command of the
Continental Army, Taylor became greatly dissatisfied with the
conduct of military affairs, resigned his commission as major,
returned to Caroline and entered the political life of the county,
with the result that he was almost immediately chosen to represent
the county in the House of Delegates.

Taylor's re-entry upon military life indicates that his attitude
toward Washington as a leader underwent a great change. In
1780, while LaFayette was in Virginia watching Cornwallis, who
was then in North Carolina, Taylor formed a regiment, or part of
a regiment, of volunteers which was sent to join LaFayette's
forces. Taylor was made Lieutenant. Colonel of this regiment
and was stationed in Gloucester county to resist the attacks of
foragers who were working havoc in that section. While stationed
here Cornwallis surrendered and the Revolution came to an end.

The war nearly depleted Taylor's fortune and the Government
partially recompensed him for his services by granting him
five thousand acres of land, but whether he accepted the grant is
not of record. On the establishment of peace he turned to the
practice of law, for which he had fitted himself in the years
immediately following his graduation from William and Mary
and was eminently successful in this profession; so much so, that
he retired from active practice in 1792, with a fortune larger than
that which had been dissipated by the war.

From 1776 to 1781 Taylor was a member of the Virginia
Legislature and, as such, added his strength to that of Richard
Henry Lee, Patrick Henry, James Monroe and George Mason
in firmly opposing the plans of Washington for a more perfect
union and a more compact nation. For to understand the life
and activities of John Taylor it must be constantly borne in mind
that he was a Virginian first and an American second. When the

plan for a National Government was submitted to Virginia,
Taylor was one of the very first to take up the pen against its
acceptance. George Mason quickly followed with a pamphlet
setting forth the dangers of acceptance of the plan; Patrick Henry
turned his eloquence against what he termed the "menace of
centralization" and Richard Henry Lee shrewdly planned to
defeat the "innovation of government"—as he termed it—but
all in vain. The new scheme of government looking to a stronger
national authority, and championed by Washington and the
conservative party, gradually made its way over all obstacles
and Virginia became a part of the American nation.

The position of Caroline county in those times, respecting
"nationalism" or "federalism" can hardly be definitely stated.
It would appear from her action in choosing Edmund Pendleton,
rather than Taylor, to represent her in the Richmond Convention
of 1788, that she was in favor of the new scheme of
government, but, on the other hand, it may be as strongly argued
that Pendleton's advocacy of the new scheme was not fully known,
or definitely stated, until after he was chosen. Many conservative
historians state that all Virginia was carried into the
Federalist movement, against her wishes, through a sense of
loyalty and gratitude to Washington, who was Federalism's
chief champion.

After Taylor's retirement from the Virginia Legislature he
bought a large estate—"Hazelwood"—on the Rappahannock
river, near Port Royal and devoted all of his time and energies to
agriculture. In 1803 he published a volume, entitled Arator,
which was one of the first books on agriculture ever written in
this country. In this volume were suggestions for the improvement
of soils, housing of slaves, rotation of crops and conservation
of forests, and other live agricultural questions of the time.

Because of this deep interest in agriculture Taylor was chosen
the first president of the Virginia Agricultural Society, which
organization had for its object the promulgation of such information
as would better the conditions of plantation life in the State.

Taylor's retirement from the political arena was short lived.
His heart was set against the Federal Constitution, which Virginia
had adopted at the behest of Washington, and so he again
took up the pen in behalf of the candidacy of William Grayson
and Richard Henry Lee, who were aspirants to Congress on a
States Rights platform and who were in entire accord with
Patrick Henry rather than Washington. So unanimously were
the common people in favor of States rights that Grayson and
Lee were overwhelmingly chosen the first Senators of Virginia,
despite the efforts of the "nationalists" who had the leadership
and the wealth of the State on their side.

After four years service in the Senate, Richard Henry Lee,
being incapacitated from tuberculosis, resigned his high office
and John Taylor was appointed by the Governor of Virginia to
serve out the unexpired term. Taylor accepted the appointment
and before the expiration of the term, he was regularly chosen by
the Virginia Legislature for the office. He declined this honor,

we are told, "because he was averse to a prolonged residence
at the national capitol." During his brief term in the Senate
Taylor was active in his opposition to Hamilton's National bank
scheme and also to the meeting of the Senate behind closed doors.
He supported a proposal for an investigation of the Treasury
Department and heartily opposed every gesture of the Federalist
wing of the Senate which looked to closer relations between
England and the United States. In this latter contention he was
strongly supported by the Virginia Assembly, which not only
endorsed his general attitude, but went a step further and
specifically instructed him to move a bill in the Senate ordering
the sequestration of British debts due from America, as retaliation
for England's unfaithfulness in her observance of the treaty of
1783 and also for the unwarranted search of American ships, by
British authorities, on the high seas.

It is recorded in Gaillard Hunt's pamphlet, "Disunion Sentiment
in Congress, 1794," that two New England Senators—King
and Ellsworth—knowing of the opposition in Virginia and the
South generally, to Washington's administration, invited Taylor
to a conference to consider the question of a quiet and peaceable
dissolution of the Union—the East from the South—with a
boundary line to be drawn between the Potomac and the Hudson
rivers. Although Taylor had learned to think of the South and
Southern interests as separate and apart from the nation, he was
not prepared for this definite proposal for a separation and so
counseled that the Union be given further trial. Shortly after
this conference he committed the proposals to paper and this
document, in the handwriting of Taylor himself, composed a
part of the Madison Papers until 1835, when Mrs. Madison removed
it from the collection on turning the papers over to the
government. Nearly seventy years later this remarkable document
came to light once more and was published, with fac similes,
in Washington by Gaillard Hunt in 1905.

Upon the expiration of his term as Senator, Taylor returned to
his plantation in Caroline and began a systematic campaign,
through the press, to further the fortunes of the "radicals" of
Democratic party, of which Jefferson, Madison and Monroe were
the outstanding leaders. Under Taylor's fostering publicity
Jefferson and his Democratic party gained great strength in Virginia
and the South generally and won votes enough in New York

and Pennsylvania to secure control of the National administration,
which control they held for a quarter of a century.

Taylor, however, was not always in accord with the party
whose fortunes he had so signally advanced; but, notwithstanding
his disposition at times to break away, he was appointed in
1803 to fill a vacancy in the Senate, and during this second term
in that body he rendered valuable service to the Administration,
especially in the acquisition of Louisiana. He declined to remain
in the Senate and although he headed the Jefferson electoral
ticket in 1804, it was not long before he withdrew his support
from the "Sage of Monticello" because he believed that Jefferson
had set his heart on making Madison his successor, rather than
Monroe; while, as a matter of fact, Jefferson had long since purposed
to make both Madison and Monroe Presidents of the
United States, but had chosen to make Madison President first.

Taylor declined to support Madison on the grounds of
Madison's "tendency toward Federalism" and bent all of his
energies to the furtherance of the political fortunes of Monroe,
who, for years, had been his bosom friend. In this effort to elect
Monroe over Madison, Taylor was supported by Macon, Randolph,
Nicholson, Standford and others, comprising a group known to
history as "The Quids." All of their efforts were unavailing
and Madison was elected to "the first office" in 1809.

Deciding, however, that it would be "politically unwise" for
the defeated aspirant to oppose the new President, Taylor counseled
Monroe to "accept the olive branch" when it should be
proffered, and so the beginning of the Madison Administration
found both Taylor and Monroe "supporting the interests of the
party." However, the change of attitude toward Madison's
Administration did not deter Taylor from continuing to press
the claims of his friend Monroe for the presidency. Rather these
things strengthened his cause, for the change of attitude toward
the Administration won the support of the new President and
also the support of Jefferson who had, on account of the Taylor-Monroe
opposition to Madison's candidacy, withdrawn his
support to some extent from Monroe. Thus Monroe's
political fortunes, began to rise. The Legislature of Virginia,
honoring the wishes of the "Sage of Monticello," chose
Monroe for Governor and shortly afterward, Madison, noting the
enthusiasm with which the people of Virginia received the new
Governor, decided to strengthen his own administration by

making Monroe a member of his Cabinet. Accordingly
Robert Smith, Secretary of State, who was both incapable
and displeasing to the Administration, was relived of his position
and Monroe invited to fill the vacancy. Monroe accepted this
"olive branch" and so safely embarked on his voyage to the
presidency. Taylor had written Monroe sometime prior to this
that it would be wise to make friends with the President in view
of a probable change in the Cabinet, significantly adding, "Our
Bureau of State has been accustomed to contain the Presidential
ermine." In this he was not mistaken, for in 1816, the end of
which he had been working was realized and Monroe was safely
elected to the "first office." Thus Taylor's wise counsel, shrewd
political planning and unceasing propaganda through pamphlets
and newspapers, were more largely instrumental in making Monroe
President than any other, or all other, forces combined.

Monroe's election to the presidency having been accomplished,
Taylor set about to deliver his State from "the thralldom of
Federalism." States Rights had become with him a sort of religion.
He could not bear Marshall's "intensely nationalistic
opinions" from the bench, nor the "nationalistic teachings" of
Clay and Calhoun and John Quincy Adams in the political arena.
Hence he again took the pen in an effort to counteract the teachings
of "these new political gods" who, it seemed to him, were "trying
to pull down the altars of the ancient faith."

His first effort in this direction was the publication, in 1814,
of his "Inquiry Into the Principles and Policy of the Government
of the United States," which was intended as an answer
to John Adams' intensely nationalistic book, entitled "A Defense
of the American Constitution." The "Inquiry" had a wide
reading in Virginia and the South and ranked him with Jefferson
and Madison as a publicist.

Five years after the publication of the "Inquiry" he published
another volume, entitled "Construction Construed," which was
an answer to John Marshall's nationalistic opinions from the
Supreme bench. So favorably was Jefferson impressed with this
work that he wrote: "A copy of it ought to be put into the hands
of every member of Congress as a standing instruction."

"Construction Construed" was shortly followed by a book
entitled: "Tyranny Unmasked," the same being intended as a
reply to the report of the "Committee of Congress on Manufactures

of January 15, 1821." This volume did not have the
reading which the preceding volumes had received.

Taylor's last book came from the press in November, 1823,
just as he was about to return to his seat in the United States
Senate. This volume, entitled "New Views of the Constitution,"
was of the same general tenor as his prior works and was intended
to discredit the Supreme Court by attempting to show how the
purposes of that body had been perverted under the leadership
of Chief Justice Marshall. Jefferson and many other States
Rights advocates, endorsed the "New Views" and commended
the book to the public. This volume was intended to influence
Congress touching several amendments then pending and to a
small extent served its purpose.

Among the political activities of Taylor's closing years was his
proposal to inaugurate a campaign of publicity in behalf of the
candidacy of John C. Calhoun, or John Quincy Adams, both
Federalists, for Monroe's successor. He explained that he would
advocate the candidacy of either of these men, though they were
Federalists, "on the principle of choosing the lesser of two evils."
Of the manner in which this proposal was received by the great
triumvirate—Jefferson, Madison and Monroe—there is no record,
but the significant fact that Adams was chosen as Monroe's
successor would indicate that Taylor's suggestion was not wholly
lost and that for a while, at least, he helped to defer the triumph
of General Andrew Jackson, whom he had in mind when he spoke
of supporting Calhoun and Adams, Federalists, on the principle
of choosing the lesser of two evils.

Taylor's closing years were filled with suffering, but notwithstanding
this fact he remained active in public life to the
end, being in the United States Senate at the time of his death.
He died at his plantation, "Hazelwood," in Caroline county on
August 21, 1824. One hundred years after his death, the citizens
of Caroline county, under the leadership of A. B. Chandler, placed
a life-sized portrait of this distinguished patriot, planter, publicist
and statesman, in the Court-House at Bowling Green in recognition
of his distinguished services to the State and nation.