Maxwell D. Taylor
General
Died when: 85 years 236 days (1027 months)Star Sign: Virgo
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.
