William Robert Taylor

Taylor was born in Woodbury, Connecticut. He was orphaned at age 6 when his father's ship was lost at sea; his mother had died when he was an infant. Cared for by his neighbors, he then moved with his guardians to Jefferson County, New York. ==Career==

Taylor moved to Ohio, where he taught school, studied medicine, The most noteworthy act of Taylor's governorship, however, was likely the so-called "Potter Law,"—named for Republican state senator Robert L. D. Potter—officially, 1874 Wisconsin Act 273. The law was a major priority of the Granger movement and effectively put railroad and freight prices under the control of a new state Railroad Commission. The law was aggressively challenged in the courts by the railroad companies, with cases even reaching the Supreme Court of the United States. The law survived legal challenge, however, Governor Taylor was defeated for re-election in 1875. His successor, Harrison Ludington, signed a bill to repeal the Potter Law and replace it with a weaker law establishing a weaker regulatory body. ==Death==

Impoverished, Taylor died in the Gisholt Home for the Aged in Burke, Wisconsin, on March 17, 1909 (age 88 years, 250 days). He is interred at Forest Hill Cemetery, Madison, Wisconsin. Taylor County, Wisconsin, is named for him. ==Family life==

Son of Robert and Mary (Coleman) Taylor, he was orphaned at age six when his father was lost at sea, and was cared for by neighbors. He married Catherine Hurd in 1842 and they had three children; and he married Viola Lee in 1886 and they had one son. ==References==