Benjamin F. (Benjamin Franklin) Taylor

Born in Lowville, New York, in 1819, Benjamin Franklin Taylor became an American poet, author, lecturer, and newspaper writer. He was associated with Chicago journalism and gained particular notice as a war correspondent during the Civil War, later building a broader reputation as a freelance writer and popular poet.

Taylor wrote in several forms, including poetry, travel writing, and prose sketches. The Library of Congress notes him for Between the Gates (1878), an account of a rail journey from Chicago to San Francisco and a summer in California, and his collected poems were published near the end of his life as Complete Poetical Works of Benj. F. Taylor (1886).

He died in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1887. Remembered as a versatile literary figure of the 19th century, he is especially interesting for readers who enjoy writers who moved easily between journalism and literature.