Taylor was born in Wynyard, Tasmania, and spent his childhood in various Tasmanian towns before boarding at Launceston Church Grammar School.
He then studied as Tasmania's 1963 Rhodes scholar at the University of Oxford, where he received a Master of Arts in History in 1965.
His studies led to an interest in diplomacy, and in 1966 he joined the Department of External Affairs, Australia's foreign service.
After a posting in Canberra, he was sent to Jakarta to serve as political counsellor for the Australian Embassy.
[2] Taylor was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 1995 for his "service to international relations".