Van Taylor

Van Taylor
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 3rd district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2019
Preceded by	Sam Johnson
Member of the Texas Senate from the 8th district
In office January 13, 2015 – January 3, 2019
Preceded by	Ken Paxton
Succeeded by	Angela Paxton
Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 66th district
In office April 20, 2010 – January 13, 2015
Preceded by	Brian McCall
Succeeded by	Matt Shaheen
Personal details
Born	Nicholas Van Campen Taylor (1972-08-01) August 1, 1972 (age 49) Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Anne Coolidge ​ (m. 2004)​
Children	3
Education	Harvard University (BA, MBA)
Website	House website
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Marine Corps
Rank	Major
Battles/wars	Iraq War

Nicholas Van Campen Taylor (born August 1, 1972), known as Van Taylor,^[1] is an American businessman and politician from Plano, Texas. He is the U.S. Representative for Texas's 3rd congressional district. The district includes much of Collin County, a suburban county north of Dallas. A veteran of the Iraq War and member of the Republican Party, he represented District 8 in the Texas Senate from 2015 to 2019. He also previously served in the Texas House of Representatives for District 66 in southwestern Collin County.

Early life, education, and career[]

A seventh-generation Texan, Taylor was born in Dallas.^[1] He is a descendant of Humble Oil co-founder Robert Lee Blaffer.^[2][3] He grew up in Midland, Texas, where he attended the Hillander School and San Jacinto Junior High School. He graduated from St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire. With numerous AP credits, he subsequently graduated in three years from Harvard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, from which he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in history. He earned a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School in 2001.^[4][5]

From January 2002 to December 2018, Taylor worked for Churchill Capital Company,^[6] a real estate investment banking and principal investment firm,^[7] as a real estate investment banker.^[8] He previously worked for McKinsey & Company and Trammell Crow Company.^[9]

Taylor married Anne Coolidge, a real estate investment manager, in 2004.^[10]

Military service[]

In Iraq, Taylor was assigned to the Marine Corps' Company C, 4th Reconnaissance Battalion and fought with 2nd Force Reconnaissance Company. As a captain, Taylor led missions in advance of Task Force Tarawa during Operation Iraqi Freedom, which detected and defeated several Fedayeen ambushes. He also participated in a casualty evacuation of 31 wounded Marines, transporting them safely to medical treatment.

Taylor's military decorations include the Navy Commendation Medal with "V", the Combat Action Ribbon, and the Presidential Unit Citation. Taylor left the Marine Corps Reserve as a major.

2006 campaign for U.S. House[]

In 2005 and 2006, Taylor ran for Texas's 17th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. He won the Republican primary with 54.03% of the vote. With 40.31% of the vote in the general election, he lost to incumbent Democrat Chet Edwards.^[11]

Texas House of Representatives[]

2010 campaign[]

On December 2, 2009, Taylor announced his candidacy for the District 66 Texas State House seat. Plano city council member Mabrie Jackson had already resigned from the council to enter the House race.^[12] On November 30, 2009, incumbent representative Brian McCall announced that he would not run for reelection.^[13] Observers speculated that McCall had told Jackson that he would step down so that she could get a head start in the campaign. McCall also endorsed Jackson as his successor.

The candidates in the March 2 Republican primary were Wayne Richards, Jackson, and Taylor. While Jackson earned the largest number of votes (41%) in the primary, she was shy of the 50% plus one vote required to win the nomination outright.^[14] Richards promptly endorsed Taylor, who then defeated Jackson in the April run-off election. McCall left the House seat early, and Taylor was sworn into office on April 20, 2010, by Collin County Judge Keith Self.

Texas State Senate[]

2014 campaign[]

On August 2, 2013, Taylor announced he would seek the Republican Party's 2014 nomination for the Texas Senate, District 8 seat held by Ken Paxton, who was stepping down to run for state attorney general.^[15]

Political positions[]

Taylor is considered a major ally of the Tea Party movement.^[16] He was endorsed by the North Texas Tea Party for his 2014 campaign for Texas Senate, District 8.^[17]

In 2017, Taylor introduced legislation to establish a registry of individuals who have been barred from employment at an educational facility. The measure, if adopted, would prevent any school employee, not just administration and faculty, from working at a school if the person is found to have engaged in an improper relationship with a student.^[18]

U.S. House of Representatives[]

Elections[]

2018

In August 2017, Taylor announced his candidacy for the United States House of Representatives for Texas's 3rd congressional district. Incumbent 13-term Republican Sam Johnson had announced his retirement. Taylor was endorsed by the Club for Growth, a national conservative group,^[19] and With Honor, a cross-partisan political group supporting next-generation military veterans.^[20] Taylor secured the nomination after easily winning the March 6 primary.^[21] He won the November 6 general election with 54.3% of the vote.^[22]

Taylor's victory continued a run of Republican control in one of the first areas of Texas to turn Republican. The GOP has held the seat without interruption since a 1968 special election, and Taylor is only the fourth person to represent it since then. At the same time, it was the closest race in the district in over half a century; indeed, it was the first time since the regular 1968 election that a Democrat had crossed the 40% mark.

Tenure[]

On May 19, 2021, Taylor was one of 35 Republicans to join all Democrats in voting for legislation to establish the January 6 commission meant to investigate the storming of the U.S. Capitol.^[23]

Committee assignment[]

• Committee on Financial Services^[24]

Caucus memberships[]

• For Country Caucus, Co-Chair^[25]
• Problem Solvers Caucus^[26]
• Republican Study Committee^[27]

Electoral history[]

References[]

External links[]

• Congressman Van Taylor official U.S. House website
• Campaign website

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
• Appearances on C-SPAN