"George-Edwin-Taylor" (August 4,1857-December 23,1925)

Was born in Little Rock Arkansas (Pulaski County) to Bryan (Nathan) Taylor,a slave

and Amanda Hines,a " free African-American woman; he had eleven siblings,none of whom are known by name.Nothing is known about his parents,except Amanda Hines was forced to leave Arkansas in 1859 in compliance with the state's Free Negro Expulsion Act,signed into law on February 12,1859.She fled with baby,Taylor to Alton,Illinois,a major center of the Underground Railroad.


Little is known about his time in Alton,except his mama died from tuberculosis in 1861 or 1862,and the young George lived in "dry good boxes" before he was taken to the La Crosse Wisconsin,area area,where he lived from 1865-1891.While in La Crosse (1865-1867),he lived the Henry & Agnes Southhall family and attended La Crosse's schools.From 1867,he was raised by politically active African American farmer near West Salem,Wisconsin.George attended county schools and Wayland Academy (1877-1879) in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin,where he studied the "classical curriculum."


From 1879,Edward worked as a journalist in the La Crosse are,contributing to numerous local newspapers and eventually and editing the Wisconsin Labor Advocate.He was active in local and state politics,especially in the labor movement and in the Wisconsin People's Union Labor parties.Edward moved to Okaloosa,Iowa,and in 1891,when he owned and edited and the Negro Solicitor.While in Iowa,he was president of the National Negro Democratic League,the National Negro men's Protective Association,and the National (Negro) Knights of Phythias.From Iowa (1891-1910),Edward moved to Florida,where he was the executive director of Jacksonville's "Colored" Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) and editor of three local newspapers: the Promoter,the Florida Times-Union (colored section),and the Florida Sentinel.


He married three times:Mary Hall of Prairre du Chien,Wisconsin,on October 15,1885;Cora E.Cooper in Okaloosa,Iowa,on August 25,1894,and Marian Tillinghast of Green Cove Springs,Florida circa 1919.No children were born to any of these marriages.


Edward's principal success (and failure) was his candidacy of the National Negro Liberty Party in 1904 for the office of president the United States.That election was won by Theodore Roosevelt,but Edward's 1904 candidacy reflected the enormous trama then facing African-American voters who were witnessing a fundamental failure of both Republican & Democratics to protect civil rights gained after the war,a systematic and through disfranchisement of  their in Southern states,and an imposition  of  Jim Crow Law & segregation.The Liberty Party's platform contained planks that supported pensions for ex-slaves,independence for Puerto Ricans & Filipinos,and representation for voters in the District of Columbia.It is condeemed disfranchisement efforts sweeping the South.The state of Arkansas played a role in attempt to dehumanize African Americans.


He died in Jacksonville,Florida.The cause of death and his burial is known.