MR. SAM TAYLOR April 9, 1895 - July 20, 1973 ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR Mr. Sam Taylor was one of the first Black men, some say the first, to be licensed as an electrical contractor in Chicago. In 1922, he formed the Taylor Electric Company, which, 75 years later, is Chicago's oldest Black-owned contracting firm, now represented by the third generation of Taylor family leadership. Mr. Taylor was born in Pratt City, Alabama, to parents who were formerly slaves. He left school after third grade to help support his family, then migrated to Chicago in 1918. He worked sev eral jobs, including one as an electrician's helper, and then took a correspondence course to become an electrician.

After passing the course and receiving his license, he founded Taylor Electric Company, which trained countless young Blacks and Hispanics, who had few, if any, options to enter the field. Mr. Taylor also helped organize a Black electricians union before minorities were allowed to join the Independent Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Eventually, he played a significant role in breaking down the barriers which prevented African Americans from joining that union. Mr. Taylor, in 1989, became the first Black contractor elected (posthumously) to the Chicago Electric Association Hall of Fame. For several years, Black Contractors United has awarded a schol arship in his name for minority youth interested in participating in the construction industry.