John Jackson Taylor

John Jackson Taylor, “Jay” to all who knew and loved him, died peacefully at home in Decatur, GA on March 3, 2022, surrounded by his beloved family.

Mr. Taylor was a Marine, a naval aviator, a diplomat, author, and historian. He was also a loving and devoted husband to Betsy Rose, the love of his life and his wife of 62 years. With his extraordinary zest for life, his large and compassionate heart, and his instinctual generosity, he was a source of inspiration, support and encouragement to so many.  Mr. Taylor’s significant contributions to current scholarship on the history of Taiwan and China are among the legacies of his rich and abundant life.

Mr. Taylor was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on December 4, 1931, to Annie Laurie Cain and Alfred Wesley Taylor. He had one older brother, Alfred Jr. When he was still small, the family moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where his father, a lawyer, worked in the insurance industry.  

At the age of 16, Mr. Taylor entered Vanderbilt University, and after graduating in 1953 he joined the Navy, becoming an air cadet. While training at Naval Air Station Pensacola, he met his beautiful bride-to-be, Betsy Rose, at a chance encounter in the Café du Monde in New Orleans. She was a nursing student at Touro Nursing School.  After a first date at Antoine’s Restaurant, which was quite a splurge on a cadet’s salary, they never looked back and were married four months later.  

Mr. Taylor then switched to the Marine Corps, becoming a helicopter pilot, and served in Japan and California.  In 1957 he joined the US Foreign Service.  During his 37-year career with the Department of State, the couple had nine postings around the world, and Jay rose to the highest rank of the Senior Foreign Service.  Highlights of his career include serving as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian Intelligence, a member of the National Security Council, and Chief of the US mission in Havana, Cuba.

During his diplomatic career, he wrote three books on international relations. After he retired, he wrote and directed a PBS documentary on South Africa and wrote two more books, including The Generalissimo, a biography of the Chinese leader Chiang Kai Shek.  It won the prestigious Gelber Prize as “The 2010 best book on international relations,” and was described by the Washington Post as “magisterial” and The Economist as “enthralling.”  

Mr. Taylor frequently contributed op-eds on world affairs to The Washington Post, The New York Times and The LA Times.

He was also a prolific poet, penning verse on occasions both great and small for his family, and especially for his wife, Betsy Rose, whom he considered his muse.

Together they built and nurtured a large and loving family, which he called The Golden Horde.  Mr. Taylor is survived by all the members of The Golden Horde, including his 4 children and their spouses - John Taylor and Jeannette Walls, Laurie and Joel Rice, Amy and Jim Scully, and Cynthia and David Young;  his nine grandchildren and their spouses - Jessica Taylor, Taylor (Michelle) Peck, Myles (Cali) Peck, Emily Cummins, Jack (Rikki) Scully, Nate Scully, Ayston Scully, Savannah Young and Gabrielle Young; his step-grandson Towers Rice (Maureen); his eight  great-grandchildren - Olivia, Charlotte, Cameron, Havana, Evelyn, Nolan, Camille, and Trevi; his brother-in-law David Rose;  his niece Ann Rose;  and his nephew Andy (Laura) Taylor and their children Will (Alice) and Kyle.

He will also be missed by Karen Brown, his editorial assistant and dear friend.  

Mr. Taylor’s beloved wife passed away in 2017, and it gives the family great comfort to know the two are reunited. Jay liked to imagine Betsy saying, “What took you so long?”