- Thomas Taggart
Infobox Politician
name = Thomas Taggart
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office = 18th Mayor of Indianapolis
term_start =January 1 ,1895
term_end =December 31 ,1901
predecessor =Caleb S. Denny
successor =Charles A. Bookwalter
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birth_date = November 17, 1856
birth_place = County Monaghan, Ireland
death_date = March 6, 1929
death_place = Indianapolis, Indiana
party = Democratic
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footnotes =Thomas Taggart (
November 17 ,1856 –March 6 ,1929 ) was a U.S.political figure . Born inCounty Monaghan ,Ireland , he went to the United States with his parents in 1861. The family settled inXenia, Ohio , where young Taggart got a job working the lunch counter at the railroad depot. At age 18, he was sent by his employer to manage the depot restaurant and hotel inGarrett, Indiana , where he met his wifeEva Bryant Taggart , whom he married in 1878.Taggart moved to Indianapolis in 1877 to run the restaurant at Union Depot. He became active in local politics and served as auditor of Marion County from 1886 to 1894 and as mayor of Indianapolis from 1895 until 1901.
He was chairman of the
Democratic National Committee from 1904 until 1908. Taggart played a key role in ensuring the nomination ofThomas Riley Marshall as the Democratic nominee for Indiana Governor in 1908, and again in securing the Vice Presidential nomination for Marshall at the Democratic National Convention in Baltimore in 1912. OnMarch 20 ,1916 , he was appointed by GovernorSamuel M. Ralston to theUnited States Senate seat left vacant by the death of SenatorBenjamin F. Shively , but he was defeated for the seat in the November election.Taggart was famous for his ownership, with
Terre Haute industrialistCrawford Fairbanks , of the French Lick Springs Hotel inOrange County, Indiana , which he developed into a popular resort based on the mineral springs located there. He was also reputed to have an interest in the illegal gambling operations there that also contributed to the resort's popularity.In the 1924 gubernatorial campaign Taggart urged front-runner Carleton B. McCulloch to take an anti-
Klan position. [http://www.bsu.edu/classes/doyle/hist415/inoutln.htm]Taggart remained active in national and state politics until his death in Indianapolis in 1929. He is remembered as the mayor who began the Indianapolis parks system. He is buried in Indianapolis in
Crown Hill Cemetery .References
*James Philip Fadley, "Thomas Taggart: Public Servant, Political Boss", Indianapolis:Indiana State Historical Society, 1997. ISBN 0-87195-115-0
*Bennett, David J., "He Almost Changed the World: The Life and Times of Thomas Riley Marshall", Authorhouse: Bloomington, Indiana, January, 2007, ISBN 978-1-4259-6562-4
External links
*findagrave|8163
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