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Robert P. Taylor

Released
Gender:Male
Era:1960s
State:Mississippi
Support
Civil Rights
Robert P. Taylor

Biography

Robert P. Taylor was one of the fifteen Episcopal clergymen arrested in Jackson, Mississippi, on September 13, 1961, after the group entered the Trailways terminal coffee shop as an interracial party and declined police orders to leave.

The fifteen clergymen were tried in Jackson Municipal Court on September 15, convicted of disorderly conduct, fined $200 apiece, and sentenced to four months in jail; the prosecutions were dismissed on May 21, 1962, and the episode later reached the United States Supreme Court as the civil damages action Pierson v. Ray. How long each priest physically remained jailed after sentencing is not established; the release date is unresolved pending jail records.

Case

Charges: Episcopal-clergy Freedom Ride — jailed September 13, 1961; convicted September 15, four months + $200 fine; prosecution dismissed May 21, 1962.
Arrested: Sep 13, 1961
Sentence: Four months in jail and a $200 fine, imposed by the Jackson Municipal Court on September 15, 1961. The prosecution was dismissed on May 21, 1962; the episode later reached the Supreme Court as Pierson v. Ray. Time physically served after sentencing is unresolved.
Convicted: Yes — convicted of disorderly conduct September 15, 1961; prosecution dismissed May 21, 1962