# John Taylor — The Quest of the Silver Fleece character guide

> John Taylor in The Quest of the Silver Fleece by W. E. B. Du Bois.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Taylor, Mr. Taylor

**First appearance:** 0012-x-mr-taylor-calls

## Snapshot

A Broadway schemer with cotton on the brain, he manages his sister's conscience and Mrs. Grey's philanthropy as coolly as he corners markets.

## Who they are

John Taylor watches the mill trust consolidate and writes to Easterly about cutting wages and scaring Northern spinners with 'a vision of niggers in the mills.' He coaches Mary on what to believe before Mrs. Grey talks to her, trading Miss Smith's needs for larger interests. He matters because he embodies the cold, plausible logic by which Northern finance extends its grip over Southern labor and Black education.

## In the story

### [III: Miss Mary Taylor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/iii-miss-mary-taylor)

Mary Taylor's brother, who supports her through college. He is interested in cotton and schemes, and he insists she take the teaching position in Alabama, suggesting she could learn something useful about the cotton industry.

### [VI: Cotton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/vi-cotton)

A cold, ambitious clerk who sees cotton as a path to wealth, using his sister's position in the South for his own gain.

### [X: Mr. Taylor Calls](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/x-mr-taylor-calls)

Arrives at the Cresswell plantation to propose a grand cotton trust, revealing his deep knowledge of their financial affairs and his plan to control the cotton market.

### [Revelation](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xv-revelation)

Acts as a mediator and strategist, proposing the formation of a committee to manage Negro education, aligning with Cresswell's interests while maintaining a facade of Northern philanthropy.

### [The Cotton Corner](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xviii-the-cotton-corner)

Acts as the agent for the Northern financial trust, sent South to manipulate cotton prices and offer credit to the Farmers' League, all part of a larger scheme.

### [The Marriage Morning](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xxi-the-marriage-morning)

John Taylor sends the Silver Fleece cloth, revealing it was woven from Alabama cotton, and plans to make similar cloth in the county.

### [The Buying of the Swamp](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xxxiii-the-buying-of-the-swamp)

Observes the negotiation between Zora and Colonel Cresswell, feeling a sense of unease about the Colonel's intentions.

### [The Cotton Mill](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xxxv-the-cotton-mill)

Devises the plan to build a cotton mill in Toomsville to reduce labor costs and use poor whites to control Black labor, viewing it as the next logical step in economic exploitation.

### [The Land](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xxxvi-the-land)

John Taylor is called by Cresswell to help in court, but his nature contrasts with Cresswell's, and he is seen as a potential political ally by Zora.

### [The Mob](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xxxvii-the-mob)

Faces damage suits from mill accidents and sends injured children to Zora's infirmary.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/john_taylor
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters