Robert Lewis Taylor
Robert Lewis Taylor was an American author born on September 24, 1912, in Carbondale, Illinois. He graduated from the University of Illinois in 1933 and served in the United States Naval Reserve during World War II, achieving the rank of lieutenant commander. Taylor is best known for his historical novels, particularly "The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters," which humorously narrates a young boy's adventures with his father during the American gold rush. This work is noted for its rich character development and accurate depiction of pioneer life and landscapes.
In addition to his signature novel, Taylor wrote "A Journey to Matecumbe," which tells the story of a family's flight to the Florida Keys amidst various challenges, including encounters with Ku Klux Klan members and Native Americans. His talent for integrating thorough historical research with engaging storytelling also shines in "A Roaring in the Wind," where a Harvard dropout seeks fortune in the West. Over his career, Taylor received several accolades, including a Pulitzer Prize in fiction in 1959. He passed away in 1998, leaving behind a legacy of literature that skillfully merges historical authenticity with entertainment.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Robert Lewis Taylor
Writer
- Born: September 24, 1912
- Birthplace: Carbondale, Illinois
- Died: September 30, 1998
- Place of death: Southbury, Connecticut
Biography
Robert Lewis Taylor was born September 24, 1912, in Carbondale, Illinois. His father, Roscoe Aaron Taylor, worked in real estate, and his mother, Mabel (Bowyer) Taylor, was a homemaker. Taylor attended the University of Illinois and received his B.A. in 1933. He enlisted in the United States Naval Reserve and was active from 1942 until 1946, and rose to the rank of lieutenant commander.
On February 3, 1945, Taylor married Judith Martin. The couple had two children, Martin Lewis, and Elizabeth Ann.
Robert Taylor had the unique opportunity of combining his love of travel and fascination with history, with his talent for writing. This combination leant itself perfectly to the historic novel genre in which Taylor researched his settings and characters extensively before placing them in fictional, yet historically accurate situations; the results were highly entertaining and intelligent novels of significant literary worth.
Taylor’s best-known work, The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters, is a humorous novel based on a series of letters and journals written by pioneers during their trek across the American plains amidst the gold rushes of the Western States. The novel follows a young boy and his father as the travel across the country in hopes of striking it rich in California. The story is filled with a diverse cast of characters that the two meet along the way and graphically accurate landscapes and backgrounds. Throughout the adventure, the travelers have hair raising encounters with Native Americans, fires, and battles with outlaws and bandits.
The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters was followed by A Journey to Matecumbe. Written in a similar style, the novel follows David Briney and his uncle Jim, as they are forced to flee their Illinois home and seek refuge in the far away Florida Keys. Once again, the travelers find themselves chased by a wild cast of characters made up of Ku Klux Klan members, Seminole Native Americans, and bandits. The novel also contains vividly described settings as well as accurate folklore and regional history and legends.
Taylor returns to tales of the gold rush with A Roaring in the Wind: Being a History of Alder Gulch, Montana, in Great and Shameful Days. Protagonist Ross Nickerson drops out of Harvard to pursue his fortunes in the West. He is lured away from his planned trajectory through stories of quick riches and exciting adventure. Along his journey, the reader witnesses the believable and well developed Nickerson maturing as he faces the challenges and struggles that pioneers and miners faced in pursuit of their riches.
Taylor died in 1998.
Throughout his career, Taylor received several honors and recognitions including the Sigma Delta Chi runner up award in general reporting division, 1939, and a Pulitzer Prize in fiction, 1959, for The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters.
Robert Taylor’s ability to incorporate historically accurate details into entertaining and engrossing fiction is his greatest literary achievement.