Hillsman Taylor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Matthew Hillsman "Red" Taylor (August 4, 1884 – November 1, 1965) was an attorney and politician, serving as a state representative and Speaker of the House in Tennessee. He played college football at Vanderbilt University. He later became a prominent attorney in St. Louis, Missouri and Memphis, Tennessee.[1] His children included Peter Matthew Hillsman Taylor, who became a Pulitzer Prize-winning author.
Hillsman Taylor | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 4, 1884 Trenton, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | November 1, 1965 (aged 81) Tennessee, U.S. |
| Other name | Red |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Football career | |
| Profile | |
| Position | Tackle |
| Personal information | |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Listed weight | 182 lb (83 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Vanderbilt (1904–1905) |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
Early years
Matthew Hillsman Taylor was born on August 4, 1884, in Trenton, Tennessee to Robert Zachery Taylor and America Clementine "Mettie" Ivey. Matthew was named after a long-time local Baptist pastor, Matthew Hillsman. Robert Taylor had fought for the Confederate Army as a private under Nathan Bedford Forrest. While working as an attorney for the West Tennessee Land Company, he was kidnapped in October 1908 along with Quentin Rankin and shot by Night Riders near Reelfoot Lake. He escaped by swimming across the lake. Rankin was lynched, shot and hanged by the mob.[2]
Vanderbilt University
Taylor was an All-Southern tackle for Dan McGugin's Vanderbilt Commodores of Vanderbilt University,[3] selected for a 2nd team All-Time Vanderbilt football team in 1912,[4]
He married Katherine Baird Taylor, from eastern Tennessee. Her father, Robert Love Taylor, was a politician who served three times as governor of Tennessee and as US Senator from the state.
