Alva E. Taylor Biography This biography is from "Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography, including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and representative citizens of South Dakota..." Published by G. A. Ogle & Co., Chicago, 1899. Page 564 Scan, OCR and editing by Maurice Krueger,mkrueger@iw.net, 1998. This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit organizations for their private use. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. This file is part of the SDGENWEB Archives. If you arrived here inside a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at http://usgwarchives.org/sd/sdfiles.htm ALVA E. TAYLOR. A leading lawyer of Huron, South Dakota, and partner of John L. Pyle, attorney general of the State, was born at Rock Island, Rock Island county, Illinois, March 28, 1859, son of Rodolphus B. and Sarah M. (Edwards) Taylor, both natives of Connecticut. His father came from Connecticut to Illinois soon after his marriage, and engaged in mercantile pursuits at Rock Island for a number of years. In 1878, he went to Cherokee county, Iowa, and settled on a farm -he and his wife are now living in Chicago, retired from business pursuits. Our subject, when a boy, attended a private school at Rock Island, under very able instructors, and at the age of nineteen began reading law in the office of Eugene Cowles, of Cherokee, Iowa. Shortly after he became of age, namely, February 26, 1881, he was admitted to the bar. He married his preceptor's daughter, Eugenie Cowles, in the spring of 1882 and shortly afterwards brought his wife to Huron, South Dakota. He practiced his profession in this town and state until 1892, during which time he was attorney for the Dakota Farm and Mortgage Company. The title of the company was changed in 1892 to that of The North American Loan and Trust Company, with head office at Chicago, requiring Mr. Taylor's presence there. While in that city he attended the post- graduate course in the Chicago College of Law, taking the degree of LL. B.; he then lectured on the subject of mortgages and commercial paper in the Chicago Law School. He went in with the Illinois College of Law when organized, where he was engaged as professor, teaching the subjects, real property and commercial paper. In the month of December, 1898, and on the invitation of John L. Pyle (who had just been elected attorney general of the state), he came to South Dakota and joined that gentleman in partnership in the practice of the law. They have an extensive practice throughout the state, with offices at Pierre and Huron. Mr. Taylor has one son, Eugene Cowles, born December, 1890. Our subject and family are members of the Independent church, holding membership in Chicago, Illinois.