-By Dr. Julianne Malveaux

Hobart T. Taylor, Sr.– Long-long-long before UBER rides, there was Hobart Taylor, Sr. …

An entrepreneur, millionaire and civic leader during segregation and the civil rights era. Hobart Taylor, Sr. was born to Millie and Jack Taylor. His father, Jack, was a former slave who became an entrepreneur and land owner of 2,000 acres of farmland in Wharton,Texas.

Surviving and Thriving was in Hobart Taylor’s bloodline. Education is of note here as he graduated high school and went on to graduate from Prairie View A&M University. He would take the advice of his father to keep the land his father had acquired and find other business opportunities.

Hobart Taylor, Sr. went on to buy a taxicab franchise in 1932. During Jim Crow laws and segregation- blacks and whites had to ride in separate cabs. And Blacks were limited to driving taxicabs only in Black neighborhoods. The conditions of the streets in black neighborhoods were in horrible unpaved conditions. Taxicabs, or any car for that matter, didn’t last long on these streets.

The genius and inventiveness of Hobart led him to submit a design to Chrysler Motor Company. This design improved the ‘motor’ and cushion function in the taxicabs to help the taxis last longer. Black mobility was on the rise and so was Hobart’s taxi business. By 1940, Hobart Taylor, Sr. was a millionaire. By 1970, his business was valued at $5 million.

Hobart T. Taylor, Sr.

This post concludes our Book Review feature of Dr. Julianne Malveaux’s ‘Surviving and Thriving: 365 Facts in Black Economic History.’ I have shared 6 of these incredible Facts with you. There are 359 more. Trust me, you want to get them all.

-Dr. Malveaux’s original comment to this post was erased because of a technical issue. I want to reiterate her love for this post and invitation to visit her site: juliannemalveaux.com to claim your book purchase while there are some left.

-My Doc, thank you for creating this book and delivering this history. Thank you for being a mentor and friend.

New ‘Book Review’ starts Wednesday – 12:30. Come back to check it out.

 

To find recent Book Reviews look under ‘youth lifestyle’ then ‘book of the month’.