century association biographical archive

Earliest Members of the Century Association

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James M. Taylor

President, Vassar College

Centurion, 1904–1916

Full Name James Monroe Taylor

Born 5 August 1848 in New York (Brooklyn), New York

Died 19 December 1916 in New York (Manhattan), New York

Buried Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery, Poughkeepsie, New York

Proposed by Nicholas Murray Butler and James Manning Bruce

Elected 7 May 1904 at age fifty-five

Archivist’s Note: Father of Morgan P. Taylor

Seconder of:

Century Memorial

James Monroe Taylor became president of Vassar College in 1888, and when he resigned in 1914, no man had done as much to raise the standard of the college, foster its strong growth in numbers and influence, and make it what it is. He had been a Baptist minister; and became an eminent educator. Brown University offered him its presidency in 1899; but he would not leave Vassar. He was the recipient of many honorary degrees, and a trustee of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Dr. Taylor was a scholar as well as a college president. At Vassar he conducted many courses. He wrote books upon Psychology and Ethics, and was interested in Archæology and other branches of research. A live and genial man, a vigorous influence for what was sensible and good.

Henry Osborn Taylor
1917 Century Association Yearbook