Hon. James Taylor - the king of Toowoomba

James Taylor was born in Clifford, Yorkshire, England in 1820 (exact date unknown). He migrated to Australia in 1840, probably on the “James Pattison”.

Taylor worked in pastoral industries before arriving on the Darling Downs in 1848, where he became the sole proprietor of the property in 1859. He married Sarah Boulton in 1850 in the first marriage ceremony performed on the Darling Downs (the wedding was held at Drayton).

They had five sons and four daughters. In 1860, Taylor became the member for the Western Downs in the first Queensland Legislative Assembly.

He set up office in Toowoomba and held the seat until 1870 when he resigned after a dubious land deal in which large areas of the Cecil Plains district were withheld from selection, only to be sold to James Taylor in 1870.

Taylor lost the subsequent election against W.H Groom in the seat of Toowoomba. In 1871, he was offered a seat on the Queensland Legislative Council which he held until 1893, resigning due to ill health. Taylor was the first president of the Toowoomba School of Arts and the Royal Agricultural Society.

He was also involved in the Queensland Turf Club, Queensland Club and the Toowoomba Grammar School. Taylor was a generous donor to the local Anglican parishes. He is also remembered for importing the first steam-driven sawmills to Toowoomba and was a significant land holder in the town, including the Royal Hotel.

He was a member of the Union Club which commissioned the building of Clifford House in Russell Street in 1860. Taylor and his family took up residence in the building in 1870. In 1890, Taylor was elected mayor of Toowoomba. Taylor died on October 19th 1895 at Clifford House.

Sources

Fletcher, Enid – “Three pioneers of the black soil plains of the Darling Downs” n.d.
Anderson, Faye – “Hon. James Taylor” 1974
LH files – LH/Taylor, James & Sarah