Sunday Favorites: Taylor the Tailor

Anyone who grew up in Palmetto during the first part of the twentieth century knew of Thomas F. Taylor, although few knew him by his full name. The man had many aliases including The Professor, Consult Taylor, Taylor the Tailor, or, in some instances, just playing Tom. The different titles represented different stages of Taylor's life.

Often described as a dapper-looking man, Taylor was a colorful character with many talents. He was an entrepreneur and advocate for children's welfare and many consider him to be Palmetto’s most generous man. However, it was the children of Palmetto who ultimately came to Taylor's aid at the end of his heartwarming tale.

Taylor was born in England in 1883 and moved to Florida at the age of 24. At that time, he was physically disabled. Historical records indicate that he first resided in Rye, a thriving town near the head of the Manatee River. At that time, he was known as Professor Taylor and he advertised talents in the 1911 Manatee River Journal as ”a certified piano and organ expert (tuning and repairing) and teacher of singing music and dance.“ He was so certain of his tutoring abilities that his work and tuition were guaranteed.

When his health was finally restored, he moved to Palmetto and resided on Bay Street, present-day, Fourth Street. He continued to advertise in the Palmetto Press, and eventually purchased a music store. With a successful business underway, Taylor began investing in local real estate.

Local historian Alice Myers remembered when her aunt's piano was dropped during a move and all the keys fell out, Consult Taylor, as he was called then, restored and tuned the piano expertly. Myers played the piano for 70 more years.

Taylor was a well-respected member of the community and served on The Manatee River Board of Trade (an early version of the Chamber of Commerce). In the 1910s, he purchased a theater where he played accompaniment on his trumpet or piano to the silent movies that were showing.

Taylor loved children and while there are records of a very short-lived marriage, he never had any of his own. In a 1914 issue of the Palmetto Press, he vowed that no child would ever pay more than a nickel to see a movie in the theater. As he aged his love of youngsters flourished. One of Taylor's favorite pastimes was to dress up and attend Infamous dances on Palmetto Dock. He never missed an opportunity to twirl Viola Wade, his favorite partner, around the dance floor. It was his love for these events that inspired him to begin hosting teen Christmas dances. Soon, he was throwing parties for children of all ages. During these parties, each child brought a stocking to be filled with fruits and candy and everyone received a book and a toy. After the gifts were distributed, ice cream was served. As many as 1,000 children attended these events!

Taylor was a well-dressed man who took pride in his appearance. He liked to drive around town and his sleek Duesenberg touring car or ride his bicycle, pinning his trousers in order to keep his pants grease-free. He ran a tailor / dry cleaning shop which is how he acquired his nickname Taylor the Tailor.

As Taylor became more successful he offered more and more assistance through community outreach. He provided vests and banners for the school patrol, donated land to the city for recreational use,

Taylor provided a new life for orphaned or illegitimate children through welfare agencies until they were placed in good homes. Many of these contributions were anonymous. During the Depression, Taylor sold people with limited means of property on a rent-to-own basis with very modest interest, helping many young families afford their first home.

When Taylor learned that patients at a lower-income hospital rarely received flowers, he made arrangements for a local florist to provide the facility with fresh flowers on a regular basis. He also donated the land on which the Tenth Street Baptist Church was built.

Because of Taylor's multitude of charitable acts, the City of Palmetto named a park after him. He was also voted Manatee County’s 1953 Distinguished Citizen.

His last act of charity was post-mortem. Throughout his life, Taylor had lived modestly so the extent of his wealth was unknown until his death. In his will, he left everything he owned to charity. All his stylish clothing was donated to the Salvation Army, his entire estate to the Children's Home Society of Florida. The total amount given to CHSF was over 250,000, a large amount of money at the time. But following his death, there was a problem, only $500 was set aside for his own burial which was not enough for a headstone. All the people of Palmetto came together to raise money to provide him with one.