Summary
John Baxter Taylor, Jr.
November 3, 1882 – December 2, 1908
Notable: Athlete
Nationality: American
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John Baxter Taylor, Jr. was born in Washington, DC on November 3, 1882, to Sarah Thomas and John Baxter Taylor. His father was a businessman by the time of his birth but some sources state that his parents had been enslaved. The family moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania during Taylor’s childhood where he enrolled at Central High School.
Central was a well-respected academic institution and a major East Coast track and field source of talent. At the time there were few Black track and field athletes, let alone at the elite level. Junior year Taylor joined the track team as its only Black member. He later became team captain and distinguished himself at the Penn Relays and city championships.
In 1902, after graduating from Central, Taylor remained in Philadelphia and enrolled at Brown Preparatory School. Brown Prep was another school with a solid academic and track and field record. During the year that Taylor spent at Brown, he raised his profile at the national level. As an individual, he posted the fastest time in the country for high school or prep students in the ¼ mile. Taylor anchored the team at the Penn Relays prep school championship to cap off their undefeated season.
For college, Taylor enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania which he would attend from 1903 to 1908. Taylor spent 1903 to 1905 in the Wharton School of Finance before transferring to the School of Veterinary Medicine’s three-year program which he completed in 1908. He was a member of Penn’s track team during his college years.
At 5’11” and weighing 160 pounds, Taylor had an eight-and-a-half foot stride. He was part of a track team that helped Penn State return to its former winning ways. As an individual in the ¼ mile, Taylor set and broke his own interscholastic world record. Taylor did not compete in the 1904 St. Louis Olympics, instead he spent the summer in England and France winning multiple races.
He completed his degree in June 1908 and just one month later, traveled to London for the Fourth Olympic Games. Typically athletes had represented a club or college but this would be the second Olympics at which athletes were selected to represent their country. Taylor was the first Black athlete chosen to represent America internationally while wearing the country’s uniform.
Taylor had been competing with a hernia since his senior year. He was one of four men to make it to the 400m (~¼ mile) final but was not in a position to win due to being unwell. The race ended in controversy when the British officials declared a foul and in solidarity, the Americans refused to re-run the race.
Taylor’s second shot at a medal in the 1600m (~1 mile) team relay was more successful. To be clear, this was not a 4x400m relay. Instead, each relay member’s leg was a different distance. Taylor was selected to run the 400m leg of the relay. The team set a world record and Taylor became the first Black American to win an Olympic gold medal. Black athletes had not yet risen to prominence in American sports. Thus Taylor’s win was extremely significant at the time.
Unfortunately, his legacy as an athlete and life were tragically cut short. John Baxter Taylor, Jr. died unexpectedly just four months after his Olympic win on December 2, 1908, from typhoid pneumonia. He was buried in Philadelphia’s Eden Cemetery.
Sources
- Essington, Amy. 2024. “John Baxter Taylor, Jr. (1882-1908).” Blackpast.Org. July 10, 2024. https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/taylor-john-baxter-jr-1882-1908/.
- “John Baxter Taylor, Jr.” 2020. Penn University Archives and Records Center. University of Pennsylvania. August 31, 2020. https://archives.upenn.edu/exhibits/penn-people/biography/john-baxter-taylor-jr/.
- Johnson, David. n.d. “John Baxter Taylor.” Ivy @ 50. Accessed August 22, 2024. http://ivy50.com/blackHistory/story.aspx?sid=12%2F27%2F2006.
- Johnson, Greg. 2021. “First African American Olympic Gold Medalist Was a Penn Grad.” Penn Today. University of Pennsylvania. July 28, 2021. https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/first-african-american-olympic-gold-medalist-was-penn-grad.
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