J. Paul Taylor papers
Collection
Identifier: Ms-0523
Scope and Contents
For the purpose of accelerating access to the J. Paul Taylor papers, they currently have received minimal processing work. The materials are described at the series level only and like materials may not necessarily be housed together. Future processing work will refine the arrangement and description of the collection. The J. Paul Taylor papers contain nine series – personal, military career, education career, organizational affiliations, political papers, Town of Mesilla Board of Trustees, maps and posters, other family members and friends, and photographs. The materials span more than a century and a half. A large portion of the collection is composed of legislative documents such as house bills, house memorials, professional correspondence, meeting agendas and minutes, memoranda, and files regarding various committees served by Taylor, such as the Health and Human Services Committee, Appropriations and Finance Committee, and Museum of New Mexico Board of Trustees. Taylor has a life-long dedication to supporting the arts and local history, and these aspects are covered in the papers as well. During his political career, Taylor advocated for the rights for New Mexicans to have better access to resources for physical and mental health, education, and economic improvement, especially for migrant and other under-served communities.
Dates: 1853-1865, 1870, 1878, 1881-1919, 1920s, 1930-1949, 1951-1999, 2000-2016, undated (bulk dates: 1938-1941, 1970-1985, 1986-1993, 1990s, 2000-2004).
Dates
- 1850s-2016
Creator
- Taylor, John Paul, 1920- (Person)
Conditions Governing Use
Open. All materials in this collection are available for research under supervised conditions in the Research Room. Researchers should contact the department in advance to make arrangements to view unprocessed materials, as these may need to be screened before use.
Biographical / Historical
John Paul Taylor was born on August 24, 1920, in Chamberino, New Mexico. He was the sixth and youngest child of William Robert Taylor and Margarita Romero. After graduating from Valley High School in 1938, Taylor promptly enrolled at the New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. Four years later, Taylor received a bachelor’s of arts degree in history. In July 1942, he joined the United States Navy and served in the naval intelligence office; Taylor worked out of El Paso, at the U.S. Federal Building as well as the El Paso Airport. Following the Second World War, Taylor wed Mary Daniels on December 27, 1945, in El Paso. They had seven children together. The couple enjoyed 62 years of marriage, until her death in 2007.
Taylor worked as the associate registrar at New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts from 1946 to 1951, when he began teaching at Mesilla Park Elementary School. This was the start of his life-long dedication to education. Six years after moving to Mesilla, the Taylor family purchased the historic Barela-Reynolds property—now listed on the National Register of Historic Places—in 1953. By 1954, Taylor had become the teaching principal at Doña Ana Elementary School and only a year later he became principal at Alameda Elementary School. During the next two decades, Taylor transferred to Las Cruces Public Schools central administration office, was elected as New Mexico’s president for the National Education Association, introduced bilingual education to Las Cruces public schools, and finally became the associate superintendent of the Las Cruces Public Schools in 1972. He continued to improve the education of the local young people until his retirement in 1985.
In 1986 Taylor began his impressive career as a New Mexico politician. While serving in the New Mexico House of Representatives, Taylor was involved in numerous committees, most notably the Appropriations and Finance Committee and the Health and Human Services Committee, to which he was named chairman. He was known locally for his dedication to educating New Mexico’s young people, preserving and promoting the rich cultural heritage of the Mesilla Valley, and serving as a moral and upright leader for those under his care in the New Mexico House of Representatives. Taylor spent his political career dedicated to the betterment of southern New Mexicans’ welfare and education, especially minority and at-risk youth. Taylor also dedicated his service in the House of Representatives to aiding migrants and improving mental health while gently encouraging his fellow politicians to vote in ways that would improve the lives of rural and urban New Mexicans alike. His policies in office improved the lives of countless New Mexicans and his legacy lives on through the J. Paul Taylor Academy and the J. Paul Taylor Social Justice Symposium, an annual gathering dedicated to continuing problem-solving the challenges faced by historically under-served populations in the southwest.
Extent
80 Linear Feet (Approx. 80 linear ft.)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The J. Paul Taylor papers document the long personal and professional life of a most active southern New Mexican educator, politician and advocate for social justice. Taylor represented Doña Ana County District 33 in the New Mexico House of Representatives for 18 years, from 1986 to 2004. The bulk of the collection consists of Taylor’s political papers, however a significant amount of material pertains to his personal life and to his active involvement in local politics in Mesilla, education, and local and international organizations.
Processing Information
For the purpose of accelerating access to the J. Paul Taylor papers, they currently have received minimal processing work. The materials are described at the series level only and like materials may not necessarily be housed together. Future processing work will refine the arrangement and description of the collection. Inventories for each series are available on request and can be obtained by emailing the Archives and Special Collections department at archives@lib.nmsu.edu with the series title/accession number.
This collection was minimally processed by Melissa Perez, Luke Devine, Clara Roberts under the direction of Jennifer Olguin(June-August, 2019).
This collection was minimally processed by Melissa Perez, Luke Devine, Clara Roberts under the direction of Jennifer Olguin(June-August, 2019).
Creator
- Taylor, John Paul, 1920- (Person)
- Title
- Guide to the J. Paul Taylor papers
- Status
- In Progress
- Author
- Finding aid by Clara Roberts, Melissa Perez, Luke Devine and Jennifer Olguin.
- Date
- 2019-04-01
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the New Mexico State University Library Archives and Special Collections Repository