Who was Casper R. Taylor Jr.? Former Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates dies at 88

Casper R. Taylor Jr. an American politician who served as Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates from 1994 to 2003, amongst the longest Speaker’s tenures in Maryland history has died at age 88. He was born on December 19, 1934 and passed away on April 24, 2023.

After graduating from the University of Notre Dame in 1956, where he was a member of the Air Force ROTC, Taylor started out his career as a restaurant owner, and was first elected to the House of Delegates in 1974.

During his tenure, he helped bring millions of dollars of state and private investments to the aid of his struggling district in Cumberland, including the state-backed Rocky Gap Lodge and Golf Resort.

Elected to the House of Delegates for the 1975 legislative session to represent District 2A, Taylor served until 2003 after losing his seat in the 2002 election.

Two factors reseponsible for Taylor’s defeat in the elections are:

1. Redrawn legislative district lines that added four heavily Republican precincts in Washington County to his traditionally Democratic district based around Cumberland, and
2. His support for some gun control laws, which were unpopular in the rural parts of his district.

Taylor was a recipient of several awards, including:

• An Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the College of Notre Dame in 2001, Frostburg State University in 2000, and Villa Julie College in 1995
• The First Citizen Award from the Maryland Senate in 2003 and
• The Thomas Kennedy Award from the Maryland House of Delegates in 2004.

Taylor passed away at his home in Cumberland, Maryland on April 24, 2023.