Born near Fulton, Mississippi, Taylor attended the public schools.

He moved to Pine Bluff, Arkansas, in 1887, where he continued the practice of law.

Taylor was subsequently elected to the Sixty-second Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Joseph T. Robinson.

He was reelected to the Sixty-fourth and to the three succeeding Congresses and served from January 15, 1913, until his death in Washington, D.C., September 13, 1921.

This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress