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Frederick Southgate Taylor

Frederick Southgate Taylor (December 16, 1847 – February 16, 1896), was an American politician and businessman. He served two terms in the Virginia House of Delegates. Taylor is noted as a founder of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.

Frederick Southgate Taylor
Virginia House of Delegates
In office
1874–1875
In office
1890–1891
Personal details
BornDecember 16, 1847
Norfolk, Virginia, US
DiedFebruary 16, 1896(1896-02-16) (aged 48)
Norfolk, Virginia, US
Resting placeElmwood Cemetery, Norfolk, Virginia
Political partyDemocratic
EducationCollege of William & Mary, A.B. 1867
University of Virginia

Early life

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Frederick Southgate Taylor was born in Norfolk, Virginia on December 16, 1847.[1][2] His father was Tazewell Taylor, the bursar of the College of William & Mary and a lawyer in Norfolk.[1][2] Taylor grew up in and around Norfolk.[1]

Taylor attended the College of William & Mary, graduating with an A.B. degree.[1] He then, enrolled in the University of Virginia in the fall of 1867.[1][3] Taylor lived in 47 West Range (part of The Range) until 1869, studying pre-law.[1]

On Sunday evening March 1, 1868, at 47 West Range, Pi Kappa Alpha was founded by Taylor, his cousin and roommate Littleton Waller Tazewell Bradford, and four other students.[4] Taylor was behind the founding of Pi Kappa Alpha and gave the fraternity its name, rituals, and motto.[1][4]

Career

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After graduating from the university, Taylor practiced law briefly in Norfolk.[2] He engaged in a variety of commercial enterprises and real estate in Norfolk, amassing a small fortune.[1][5][2] He was the treasurer of the Norfolk Draw Bridge Company and the secretary and tresurer of the Norfolk and Ocean View Railroad.[6][7] He served on the board of directors of the City Gas Light Company of Norfolk and the Upshur Guano Company.[8][9] With George R. Wilson, he formed Wilson & Taylor, a wholesaler and retailer of ice they imported from ponds in Boston, Massachusetts.[10] He also was the secretary of the Ocean View Hotel, a 25-room hotel that was on the Chesapeake Bay.[11]

In March 1870, Virginia's Governor Gilbert C. Walker appointed Taylor the notary public for Norfolk.[12] Taylor was elected as a Democratic member of the Virginia House of Delegates for Norfolk from 1874–1875.[13][1] He was elected president of the Select Council of Norfolk on July 1, 1880.[14][2] Later, he became the president of the Common Council of Norfolk, resigning in October 1889 to return to the House of Delegates.[5][1][15]

In January 1888, Taylor and his partners incorporated the Elizabeth River Navigation Company to operate a toll ferry between Norfolk and Portsmouth, VIrginia.[16][17] Taylor was reelected to the Virginia House of Delegates for Norfolk, serving from 1890–1891.[13][1] In May 1892, he was elected president of the Norfolk Real Estate Investment Company.[18]

Personal life

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Taylor married Anna Brooke.[2] They had a daughter and four sons—Brooke Taylor, Tazwell Taylor, Southgate Taylor, Anna Taylor, and Seldon Taylor.[2] The family lived in Norfolk and had a cottage at Virginia Beach, Virginia.[19]

Taylor was known as a philanthropist, contributing to community service projects.[1] In 1872, he served on the executive committee of the Virginia and North Carolina Agricultural Society which arranged a fair with a regatta, auction, and sailing boat race.[20] In November 1881, Governor Frederick W. M. Holliday appointed Taylor to the state board of visitors of the Eastern Lunatic Asylum.[21] He also served on the board of directors of the Retreat for the Sick.[22]

He was a member of the vestry of Christ Church in Norfolk and served on the Committee of Entertainment and Quarters of the Delegates to the Protestant Episcopal Council of Virginia.[23][24][2] He served on the executive committee of the alumni association of the College of William & Mary.[25] He was also a member of the Owens Lodge of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons.[2]

Taylor died on February 16, 1896, in front of the Hume & Billsoly store on Main Street in Norfolk.[1][2] He died from heart failure.[2] He was forty-eight years old, and most of his children were still young. He was buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Norfolk.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Wharton, Amy. "Our History: Featured Alumni/ae: Taylor, Frederick S., 1868". School of Law, University of Virginia. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Mr. F. S. Taylor Dead". The Virginian-Pilot. Norfolk, Virginia. February 14, 1896. p. 1. Retrieved September 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "The University of Virginia". The Norfolk Virginian. May 27, 1868. p. 1. Retrieved September 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b "History". Pi Kappa Alpha. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "The City Convention". The Virginian-Pilot. Norfolk, Virginia. September 13, 1889. p. 1. Retrieved September 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "The Annual Meeting of the Stockholders of the Norfolk Draw Bridge Company". The Norfolk Virginian. January 7, 1871. p. 2. Retrieved September 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Stockholders Meeting". The Virginian-Pilot. Norfolk, Virginia. June 27, 1884. p. 1. Retrieved September 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Election of Officers". The Norfolk Virginian. January 21, 1873. p. 1. Retrieved September 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "The Upshur Guano Company". The Norfolk Virginian. February 16, 1883. p. 1. Retrieved September 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Wilson & Taylor". The Norfolk Virginian. March 26, 1873. p. 2. Retrieved September 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "For Lease - The Ocean View Hotel". The Norfolk Virginian. March 16, 1877. p. 2. Retrieved September 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Appointment". The Norfolk Virginian. March 25, 1870. p. 1. Retrieved September 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ a b Kromkowski, Charles A. "The Virginia Elections and State Elected Officials Database Project". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 3, 2013.
  14. ^ "Norfolk, Virginia". The Norfolk Virginian. July 2, 1880. p. 2. Retrieved September 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Commite of the Whole". The Virginian-Pilot. Norfolk, Virginia. October 29, 1889. p. 1. Retrieved September 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "The Legislature". The Norfolk Virginian. January 11, 1888. p. 1. Retrieved September 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "From Richmond". The Norfolk Weekly Landmark. January 11, 1888. p. 1. Retrieved September 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Election of Officers". The Virginian-Pilot. Norfolk, Virginia. May 29, 1892. p. 1. Retrieved September 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Norfolk in Brief". The Virginian-Pilot. Norfolk, Virginia. June 8, 1892. p. 1. Retrieved September 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "At a Meeting of the Executive Committee". The Norfolk Virginian. October 22, 1872. p. 4. Retrieved September 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Appointed Visitors". The Norfolk Virginian. November 9, 1881. p. 1. Retrieved September 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Election of Officers". The Virginian-Pilot. Norfolk, Virginia. May 15, 1890. p. 1. Retrieved September 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Church Officers". The Norfolk Virginian. April 15, 1885. p. 1. Retrieved September 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ "Committee Meeting". The Virginian-Pilot. Norfolk, Virginia. May 10, 1882. p. 1. Retrieved September 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ "Williams and Mary..Officers Elected". Richmond Dispatch. July 5, 1890. p. 3. Retrieved September 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
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