GEORGE EDWIN TAYLOR

THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT

DATES: 1857-1925 PARTY: National Negro Liberty Party IN OFFICE: N/A STATE: Illinois

Those who choose to run for president of the United States often come to the role with a story of triumph over adversity under their belts. They overcame great odds, achieved beyond all expectations and, to put it bluntly, embody in some fashion the American Dream. As the son of a free woman and an enslaved man who was left orphaned while still a child, George Edwin Taylor had just that kind of story but, in a manner of speaking, he fell into his presidential run.

Taylor made his name in publishing, writing articles and columns for local papers, which drew him into the growing labour movement of the American Midwest. From here he teamed up with like-minded African American activists and looked to bring about change through advocacy to the Republican and Democratic parties. Finding that route stymied, they formed the National Negro Liberty Party in 1904 and made plans to put forward their own third-party candidate for the upcoming presidential election. The original choice, William Thomas Scott, was sent to jail in Illinois and so Taylor was approached to be his replacement.

Taylor’s platform of universal suffrage, voting rights protection, greater black representation in the military, anti-lynching laws and federal pensions for former slaves didn’t ultimately garner him much support and after the election he went back to publishing.