Gene Taylor

Gary Eugene Taylor (born September 17, 1953) is an American politician who was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1989 to 2011 and previously a member of the Mississippi Senate from 1983 to 1989.

Taylor was born in New Orleans on September 17, 1953.

The 4th has not supported the official Democratic presidential candidate since 1956 (when the Democrats nominated Adlai Stevenson).

During Taylor's final term, it was the most Republican district in the nation to be represented by a Democrat, with a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+20.

He attended De La Salle High School, graduating in 1971.

From 1971 through 1984, Taylor served in the United States Coast Guard Reserve, where he attained the rank petty officer first class.

While in the coast guard, he commanded a search and rescue boat and earned several commendations.

He graduated from Tulane University in 1976 where he majored in political science and history.

Taylor worked as a sales representative for Stone Container Corporation, working a territory from New Orleans to the Florida panhandle, from 1977 through 1989.

He completed additional post-graduate work in business and economics at the University of Southern Mississippi from 1978 through 1980.

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.

Taylor was a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, and his voting record was one of the most conservative among Democrats in the House.

He refused to endorse Clinton's reelection bid in 1996, but refused to switch parties despite numerous overtures from the Republicans.

He voted for all four articles of impeachment against Bill Clinton in 1998—the only Democrat in Congress to do so.

He was one of just five Democrats to support at least one article of impeachment.

In 2000, 2004, and 2008, it gave the Republican presidential candidate his best total in the state.

It was a foregone conclusion that Taylor would be succeeded by a Republican once he retired.

A leading Democratic Member of the House Armed Services Committee, Taylor led committee and floor fights to improve the medical benefits of military retirees and extend TRICARE health insurance to members of the National Guard and Reserves.

Taylor also focused on U.S. policy in Latin America, sponsoring the successful cap on the number of U.S. troops that can be sent to Colombia without explicit Congressional authorization.

Taylor also was a leading critic of the Base Realignment and Closure process, accusing the Department of Defense of smuggling in policy changes that were unrelated to excess capacity or facilities.

In the 2004 Democratic primaries, Taylor endorsed Wesley Clark.

He voted for John McCain in 2008.

The Christian Coalition gave Taylor an overall rating of 76% and he has endorsed the Federal Marriage Amendment.

Taylor was a strong critic of the Bush Administration's fiscal policy.

He was defeated for re-election in 2010 by State Representative Steven Palazzo.

He represented a district that had turned almost solidly Republican at the national level, though as late as 2010 most local offices were split between the two parties.

Taylor served as the Ranking Democrat on the Projection Forces Subcommittee in the 109th Congress, and became chairman of the renamed Subcommittee on Seapower and Expeditionary Forces in the 110th Congress.

He and the previous subcommittee chairman Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD), who became the ranking member of the subcommittee, advocate for more nuclear-powered surface ships in order to reduce the Navy's dependence on imported oil.

According to a 2011 survey by the National Journal, Taylor was the most conservative Democrat in the House.

Taylor was also a member of the Readiness subcommittee of the Armed Services committee in the 110th Congress.

In House Armed Services Committee hearings, Taylor was sharply critical of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and other administration witnesses, particularly regarding shortages of armor for troops and vehicles in Iraq.

He decried the lack of urgency to speed up production and procurement of armored vehicles and jammers to block the signals of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

In 2014, he changed his long-time membership from the Democratic Party, becoming a Republican.

The same year, he ran for election against Palazzo to return to the House of Representatives.

Securing only 43 percent of the vote, Taylor lost in the primary.

Following his congressional career, Taylor served on the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission until 2014.

He consulted for the defense industry before becoming a director for Overseas Shipholding Group in 2018.