Taylor, Maxwell D. (Maxwell Davenport), 1901-1987

Maxwell D. Taylor was a United States (U.S.) Army officer who began his career in 1923. From 1923 to 1939 he served on various assignments including duty with the Corps of Engineers, Field Artillery, and was a language instructor at the U.S. Military Academy. In 1940 he was assigned on a special mission to Latin America in connection with hemispheric defense. During World War II (WWII) he was assigned as: commander, 12th Field Artillery Battalion (1940-1941); Secretary of the General Staff, War Dept. (1941-1942); chief of staff and artillery commander, 82nd Airborne Division and served with the 82nd in Sicilian and Italian campaigns and as the senior U.S. member to the Allied Control Commission (1942-1944); commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division (1944-1945). From 1945-1949 he was superintendent, U.S. Military Academy; Chief of Staff, U.S. Army European Command and U.S. commander of Berlin (1949-1951); Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations and Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Administration (1951-1953).

Taylor was assigned as commanding general, 8th Army in Korea (1953-1954), and of the U.S. Army Forces, Far East (1954-1955). He retired from the Army in 1959. In his civilian years he became chairman of the board of the Mexican Light and Power Company (1959-1960); military representative of the President and was recalled to active duty in 1961. Became chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1962-1964); U.S. ambassador to South Vietnam (1964-1965) and returned to D.C. where he became a presidential consultant on diplomatic and military affairs; president, Institute for Defense Analyses and worked on the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board (1966-1970).