At the age of 26, John Baxter Taylor was considered one of the best quarter-mile racers in the world. Not surprisingly, he went on to win a gold medal in the 1908 Olympics and became the first African American gold medalist. However, just months after winning, Taylor suddenly died, cutting short a potentially long career as an athlete.
Taylor Embarks Upon a Career in Track
Olympic medalist John Baxter Taylor was born on November 3, 1882 in Washington, D.C. After his family moved to Philadelphia, Taylor attended Central High School and shortly thereafter, during his junior year he began running on the track team.After graduating from Central High, Taylor went to attend Brown Prep in Philadelphia. He joined the track team and won at two meets. In 1903, he entered the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Finance and became a member of the track team. During his first year on the team, he won the quarter-mile run at the Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America (IC4A) championship.
In 1906, Taylor withdrew from Wharton and enrolled in Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine. During his remaining years on the track team at Penn, in 1907 he won the quarter-mile and the 440 yards race at the IC4A championships.
Taylor Becomes the First Black Gold Olympic Medalist
In 1908, he had a momentous year; he graduated from the School of Veterinary Medicine and won a spot on the American Olympic team. The July Olympics were held in London, England. Taylor was a finalist in the 400-meter race, but a winner was unascertained after a foul was declared. Taylor and the other American runners refused to race in the re-run so Englishman Wyndham Halswelle was declared the winner by default. However, Taylor had another opportunity to win as a member of the relay team. Taylor and his American teammates won the gold medal in the 1600-meter relay. Taylor became the first African American gold medalist in the Olympics.After returning home and enjoying his success as a gold medalist, Taylor’s celebration was short lived. On December 2, 1908, Taylor died at his home in Philadelphia of typhoid pneumonia.
