Restrictions to Access

No restrictions. Open for research.

Copyright Notice

Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], in the Walter Frank Taylor papers #4460, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Special Collections Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Acquisitions Information

Received from Mrs. W. Frank Taylor of Goldsboro, N.C., in July and December 1986 and from Mrs. Taylor through Betsey Baldridge in November 1988.

Sensitive Materials Statement

Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.

Processed by: Connie Cartledge, Marion Presler, September 1986; Roslyn Holdzkom, December 1988

Encoded by: ByteManagers Inc., 2008

The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.

Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.

• Academic freedom--North Carolina.
• College trustees--North Carolina--History--20th century.
• Legislators--North Carolina.
• North Carolina--Politics and government--1951-
• North Carolina. General Assembly. House of Representatives--History.
• North Carolina. General Assembly. Senate--History.
• North Carolina. Speaker Ban Law.
• Taylor, Walter Frank, 1889-1977.
• Universities and colleges--North Carolina--Administration.
• University of North Carolina (1793-1962). Board of Trustees.
• University of North Carolina (System)--Administration.
• University of North Carolina (System). Board of Trustees.

• See THOMAS JACKSON WHITE, JR., #4231, for additional material concerning the Speaker Ban Law.

Walter Frank Taylor was born 4 April 1889, in Duplin County, North Carolina. He was educated at the University of North Carolina, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in 1911, followed by a law degree in 1914. He was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate and a member of the Order of the Golden Fleece, Phi Society, and Tau Kappa.

Taylor began practicing law in a Goldsboro firm in 1914. Later, as a partner, Taylor built the firm into one of North Carolina's most respected firms - Taylor, Allen, Warren, and Kerr. He served on the North Carolina Board of Law Examiners and was president of the North Carolina Bar Association.

Taylor was also actively involved in North Carolina politics. In 1921, he served as a Democrat in the North Carolina State Senate, representing District 8, Wayne County. From 1933-1938 he was a member of the Goldsboro Board of Aldermen. He represented Wayne County from 1939 to 1951 in the North Carolina House of Representatives, and in 1951 he was elected speaker of the North Carolina House. Taylor was the legislative counsel to Governor William B. Umstead from 1953 to 1954.

In addition to his interest in state politics, Taylor was deeply committed to the University of North Carolina. He served on the Board of Trustees of the University from 1915 until the University was consolidated in 1931. He then served on the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of the consolidated University until its reorganization in 1971. In 1972, he was named to the Institutional Board, an interim board of trustees of the Chapel Hill branch of the University, and served from July 1972 until July 1973. Taylor died 28 September 1977.

Materials, 1958-1973, relating to Taylor's service on the Board of Trustees of the University of North Carolina, including files concerning the Speaker Ban episode of 1965 and restructuring the board in the 1960s; files concering Taylor's involvements in the North Carolina General Assembly and some of his other political activities; and a few other items.