John Louis Taylor (March 1, 1769 – January 29, 1829) was an American jurist who served as the first chief justice of North Carolina from 1819 to 1829.

Born in London, England, he is the only foreign-born Chief Justice in state history.

When the North Carolina General Assembly decided to create a full-time, distinct Supreme Court in 1818, the legislators chose three men to make up the new Court: Taylor, Leonard Henderson, and John Hall.

Elmwood, his home at Raleigh, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

[4] Taylor's namesake grandson, John L. T. Sneed, served as a justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court.