James T. S. Taylor (1840-1918)

James T. S. Taylor (1840-1918), a free Black shoemaker, grew up in Charlottesville and served as a commissary sergeant in the 2nd U. S. Colored Infantry during the Civil War. He published wartime letters chronicling Black soldiers’ experiences and protesting racial injustice within the army. After the Civil War, he became a leader in Charlottesville’s Republican Party. He served as a delegate to Virginia’s Constitutional Convention of 1867-68, where he championed Black suffrage, civil rights, and integrated public education. In 1881, he supported the Readjuster Party, a biracial reform coalition that refinanced the state’s debt to invest in public education. He remained active in Republican politics into the 20th century, and he is buried in Oakwood Cemetery.

Department of Historic Resources, 2025