Larry "Gene" Taylor was a Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 politician from Missouri

Missouri

Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

. He was a resident of Shell Knob, Missouri

Shell Knob, Missouri

Shell Knob is a census-designated place in White River Township in Barry and Alpine Township in Stone counties in the U.S. state of Missouri...

.

He was a sixth generation Missourian, and the son of Dorothy Taylor and the late Missouri representative to the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

, Gene Taylor

Gene Taylor (Missouri)

Gene Taylor was a Republican U.S. representative from Missouri.He was born near Sarcoxie, Missouri, where Taylor attended local public schools....

. He was married to Gay Taylor, and had three children, Charles, Chelsea, and Jaime. He attended the First Baptist Church in Cassville, Missouri

Cassville, Missouri

Cassville is a city in Flat Creek Township, Barry County, Missouri, United States. The population was 3,266 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Barry County. Crowder College offers 2 year degree programs in Cassville...

, and was an active member of the local Lions International Club.

He was a graduate of Sarcoxie High School, and went on to Missouri Southern State University

Missouri Southern State University

Missouri Southern State University is a public, state university located in Joplin, Missouri. Missouri Southern State University was formerly Missouri Southern State College and is also known as Missouri Southern, MSSU, or MoSo for short. Established in 1937 as Joplin Junior College, Missouri...

. He owned an automobile dealership, Gene Taylor Ford and Sales, and was an automobile and boat wholesaler. He was first elected to the Missouri House of Representatives

Missouri House of Representatives

The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 31,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections held in even-numbered years.In 1992 Missouri...

 in 2002, and elected to the Missouri State Senate in 2004. He was a member of the following committees:

• Economic Development, Tourism, and Local Government (vice chair)
• Aging, Families, Mental and Public Health
• Transportation
• Ways and Means.