LONG TIME JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ATTORNEY
ROBERT MAXWELL TAYLOR DIES AT 59
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington lost a wonderful colleague and friend yesterday with the death of Robert Maxwell Taylor. Mr. Taylor had been battling leukemia for fifteen months. He was 59-years-old.
Robert Taylor served as an Assistant United States Attorney for more than thirty years. He originally joined the office in March of 1975 and represented the government in both civil and criminal cases until December 1987. Mr. Taylor left government service for a brief stint in private practice, but returned to the United States Attorney’s Office in January of 1989 and worked on civil cases until taking medical leave in 2005 as he underwent treatment for leukemia. As a civil litigator, Mr. Taylor defended the government in medical malpractice, personal injury and land use cases. He was nationally recognized for his courtroom skills, teaching for many years at the Trial Advocacy Institute at the University of Virginia.
“Robert was a gifted and dedicated public servant,” said John McKay, United States Attorney for the Western District of Washington. “Professionally, he worked tirelessly in the interests of justice. Personally, he made the community a better place with quiet dedication to a variety of organizations. Bob was a dear friend of many years to me, and my thoughts are with Collene, their daughters and all of his family."
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Robert Taylor spent his early years in Northern California. He graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. Taylor received his law degree from Boston University Law School in 1973. He passed the Washington State bar exam that same year, and began his legal career with the Washington State Attorney General’s Office in the land use area.
Robert Taylor was active in Seattle’s Downtown Rotary, serving on the Rotary board from 2003-2004. He was a long time member of the board of directors for the Northwest Center, serving as president in 1991.
Mr. Taylor is survived by his wife, Collene, and two daughters Katherine and Alexandra in Seattle. He is also survived by his mother, Estella Taylor and three brothers, Ronald, Scott and Stephen Taylor, all of California. Services are pending.
