Gene Taylor (Mississippi)
| Gene Taylor | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Mississippi's 4th district |
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In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Ronnie Shows |
| Succeeded by | Steven Palazzo |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Mississippi's 5th district |
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In office October 17, 1989 – January 3, 2003 |
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| Preceded by | Larkin Smith |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Member of the Mississippi Senate | |
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In office 1983–1989 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
September 17, 1953 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Political party |
Democratic (until 2014) Republican (2014–present) |
| Spouse(s) | Margaret Gordon |
| Alma mater |
Tulane University University of Southern Mississippi |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Gary Eugene "Gene" Taylor (born September 17, 1953) is an American politician who was the U.S. Representative for Mississippi's 5th congressional district from 1989 to 2003 and Mississippi's 4th congressional district from 2003 to 2011. He was defeated for re-election in 2010 by State Representative Steven Palazzo, who gained 52% of the vote compared to Taylor's 47%. He left office in January 2011. He currently serves on the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission.
Taylor was a member of the Democratic Party until becoming a Republican in 2014.
Taylor was born in New Orleans and is a 1975 graduate of Tulane University where he majored in political science and history. He completed additional post-graduate work in business and economics at the University of Southern Mississippi from 1978 through 1980.
Taylor worked as a sales representative for Stone Container Corporation, working a territory from New Orleans to the Florida panhandle, from 1977 through 1989.
From 1971 through 1984, Taylor was a member of the United States Coast Guard Reserve, commanding a search and rescue boat and earning several commendations.
Taylor was elected to the Bay St. Louis City Council in 1981, and then to a vacant seat in the Mississippi State Senate in 1983. As a State Senator, Taylor and fellow Senator Steven Hale filed a lawsuit challenging the Senate powers of Democratic Lieutenant Governor Brad Dye. Taylor and Hale claimed that Dye's control of committee appointments violated the state constitution's separation of powers. The Supreme Court of Mississippi sided with Dye, but the suit against a powerful leader from his own party helped establish Taylor's reputation for political independence.
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