Maxwell D. Taylor

Maxwell D. Taylor
Maxwell D. Taylor
Chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board
	In office; February 29, 1968 – May 1, 1970
President	Lyndon B. Johnson; Richard M. Nixon
Preceded by	Clark Clifford
Succeeded by	George Whelan Anderson Jr.
United States Ambassador to South Vietnam
	In office; July 14, 1964 – July 30, 1965
President	Lyndon B. Johnson
Preceded by	Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.
Succeeded by	Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
	In office; October 1, 1962 – July 1, 1964
President	John F. Kennedy; Lyndon B. Johnson
Preceded by	Lyman Lemnitzer
Succeeded by	Earle Wheeler
Chief of Staff of the Army
	In office; June 30, 1955 – June 30, 1959
President	Dwight D. Eisenhower
Deputy	Williston B. Palmer; Lyman Lemnitzer
Preceded by	Matthew Ridgway
Succeeded by	Lyman Lemnitzer
Commander of the United Nations Command
	In office; April 1, 1955 – June 5, 1955
President	Dwight D. Eisenhower
Deputy	Williston B. Palmer; Lyman Lemnitzer
Preceded by	John E. Hull
Succeeded by	Lyman Lemnitzer
Governor of the Ryukyu Islands
	In office; April 1, 1955 – June 5, 1955
President	Dwight D. Eisenhower
Preceded by	John E. Hull
Succeeded by	Lyman Lemnitzer
Superintendent of the United States Military Academy
	In office; September 4, 1945 – January 28, 1949
Preceded by	Francis Bowditch Wilby
Succeeded by	Bryant Moore
Personal details
Born	Maxwell Davenport Taylor; August 26, 1901; Keytesville, Missouri, U.S.
Died	April 19, 1987 (aged 85); Washington, D.C., U.S.
Education	United States Military Academy (BS); Metropolitan Community College, Missouri
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1922–1959; 1961–1964
Rank	General
Unit	Engineer Branch; Field Artillery Branch
Commands	Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Chief of Staff of the United States Army; United States Military Academy; 101st Airborne Division; 82nd Airborne Division Artillery; 12th Field Artillery Battalion
Battles/wars	World War II; Korean War; Vietnam War
Awards	Distinguished Service Cross; Army Distinguished Service Medal (4); Silver Star (2); Legion of Merit; Bronze Star Medal; Purple Heart

Maxwell Davenport Taylor (August 26, 1901 – April 19, 1987) was a senior United States Army officer and diplomat of the mid-20th century. He served with distinction in World War II, most notably as commander of the 101st Airborne Division, nicknamed "The Screaming Eagles."

After the war, he served as the fifth chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, having been appointed by President John F. Kennedy. He is the father of biographer and historian John Maxwell Taylor and of military historian and author Thomas Happer Taylor.

A controversial figure, Taylor was considered, along with Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, to have played a major role during the early days of the Vietnam War in the decision to deploy US combat troops to Vietnam and to escalate the conflict more generally.

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