Robert Rochon Taylor facts for kids

Robert Rochon Taylor (born April 12, 1899 – died March 1, 1957) was an important American leader who worked to improve housing and banking. He helped start the Illinois Federal Savings and Loan, which offered home loans to Black families in Chicago's South Side. Taylor was also the first Black person to join the Chicago Housing Authority and later became its leader. A large public housing project, the Robert Taylor Homes, was named after him.

Early Life and Education

Robert Rochon Taylor was born in 1899 in Tuskegee, Alabama. His father, Robert Robinson Taylor, was an architect and a professor at the Tuskegee Institute. His mother, Beatrice Rochon Taylor, was a Louisiana Creole. Her father was a state lawmaker during the Reconstruction era.

Taylor first studied architecture at Howard University. He then earned his business degree from the University of Illinois in 1925.

Helping Families Find Homes

After college, Taylor first worked as an architect in Chicago. Soon, he started helping to fund building projects. He built many single-family homes on the South Side of Chicago.

Taylor also managed the Michigan Boulevard Garden Apartments. These were some of the first affordable apartments built for Black residents. A famous businessman, Julius Rosenwald, who led Sears Roebuck, helped pay for this project.

In 1934, Taylor became the general manager of the Illinois Federal Savings and Loan. This bank helped Black Chicagoans get loans to buy homes.

Leading the Chicago Housing Authority

Taylor's success in helping people get homes led to a big role. In 1938, Chicago's Mayor Edward Kelly asked him to join the board of the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA). The CHA is a group that helps provide housing for people.

Taylor became the chairman of the CHA in 1941 and served until 1950. During his time as chairman, most of the new homes built by the CHA were for Black Chicagoans. This was a big change from earlier projects that were only for white families.

Taylor strongly believed that public housing should be spread out across the city. He also wanted to end segregation in white neighborhoods. He thought this would help Black families have more chances to succeed.

Legacy

Taylor left his position at the CHA because his ideas faced resistance from the Chicago City Council. They did not agree with his plans for housing.

After Taylor passed away, the Housing Authority named the Robert Taylor Homes after him. This project was built on the South Side of Chicago. At the time, it was the largest single housing project ever built.

Taylor was married to Laura Dorothy Vaughan Jennings. They had two daughters, Lauretta and Barbara. He died in Chicago on March 1, 1957.