Mervyn Taylor (28 December 1931 – 23 September 2021[1]) was an Irish Labour Party politician who served as Minister for Equality and Law Reform from 1993 to 1994 and from 1994 to 1997.
In January 1993, he was appointed to the newly created position of Minister for Equality and Law Reform in the Fianna Fáil–Labour coalition government led by Albert Reynolds as Taoiseach.
In the course of the campaign he survived criticism of the measure directed at his Jewish faith, as well as a Supreme Court ruling that public monies could not properly be spent in promoting the government's opinion on a referendum proposal.
Their younger son, Gideon, is chief executive officer of New York's Jewish Community Relations Council and of the Jewish Restitution Successor Organization[17] and is adjunct professor of law at Fordham University in New York City.
Tributes to Taylor were led by President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, describing him as "one of the most gracious, unselfish and kindest members ever to serve in the Dáil".
[3] Stephen Collins, former political editor for The Irish Times, described him as "a rarity in politics, a quiet man who avoided any hint of flamboyance yet made a substantial impact on the State he served during an important time of social change".
[9] A collection of Mervyn Taylor's papers from his time as the Minister for Equality and Law Reform is held at the National Library of Ireland.