Early Life
Richard Taylor was born at the "Springfield" family plantation near Louisville, Kentucky. He was named after his paternal grandfather, Richard Lee Taylor, a Virginian who had served in the American Revolution. He had five older sisters, Margaret Smith, Ann Mackall, Sarah Knox, Octavia Pannell, and Mary Elizabeth Taylor. Much of his early life was spent on the American frontier, as his father was a career military officer and commanded several forts, where his family could live with him. As a youth, Richard was sent to private schools in Kentucky and Massachusetts.
After starting college studies at Harvard College, he completed them at Yale, where he graduated in 1845. He was a member of Skull and Bones, a social club. He received no scholastic honors, but spent the majority of his time reading books on classical and military history. During the Mexican-American War, Taylor served as the military secretary to his father.
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