James Samuel Taylor (January 20, 1872 - December 22, 1960) was a Canadian politician, printer and publisher.

Born in Liverpool, England, Taylor immigrated to British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

 settling in Nanaimo

Nanaimo, British Columbia

Nanaimo is a city on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It has been dubbed the "Bathtub Racing Capital of the World" and "Harbour City". Nanaimo is also sometimes referred to as the "Hub City" because of its central location on Vancouver Island and due to the layout of the downtown...

.

In 1935

Canadian federal election, 1935

The Canadian federal election of 1935 was held on October 14, 1935 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 18th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal Party of William Lyon Mackenzie King won a majority government, defeating Prime Minister R.B. Bennett's Conservative Party.The central...

 he was one of the first MPs elected to the Canadian House of Commons

Canadian House of Commons

The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...

 under the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation

Co-operative Commonwealth Federation

The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation was a Canadian political party founded in 1932 in Calgary, Alberta, by a number of socialist, farm, co-operative and labour groups, and the League for Social Reconstruction...

 banner representing Nanaimo riding

Nanaimo (electoral district)

Nanaimo was a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1904 to 1979.This riding was created as Nanaimo riding in 1903 from parts of Vancouver and Victoria ridings....

.

He had strong interests in astrology

Astrology

Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...

 and numerology

Numerology

Numerology is any study of the purported mystical relationship between a count or measurement and life. It has many systems and traditions and beliefs...

 and did not fit in well with other members of the CCF caucus and was once described by M.J. Coldwell as "A very queer duck, indeed".(Stewart, Walter; The Life and Political Times of Tommy Douglas pg 127 ISBN 1552783820)

By early 1937, Taylor had left the CCF caucus and was sitting as an Independent MP and is described by Stewart as having "jumped to the Liberals

Liberal Party of Canada

The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...

"(ibid) though he never formally adopted that designation. Taylor did not run for re-election in 1940

Canadian federal election, 1940

The Canadian federal election of 1940 was the 19th general election in Canadian history. It was held March 26, 1940 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 19th Parliament of Canada...

and returned to private life.

Sources