Edwin James Taylor was born in 1869 in Waddington, New York, where he grew up and was educated in the public schools.

He graduated from St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York in 1890, and moved to Grand Forks later that year where he engaged in education.

He was elected the Superintendent of Public Schools for his county in 1892, and held this position for three consecutive terms.

[2] In 1903, he was appointed Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction and served in this position for eight years.

[1] Taylor later worked for many years as a law librarian and reporter for the North Dakota Supreme Court.