Harvey L. Taylor

Harvey L. Taylor was an administrator over all schools other than Brigham Young University (BYU) within the Church Educational System of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1964 until 1970. He was vice president of Brigham Young University (BYU) from 1957 until 1964, when he became acting Chancellor of the Unified School System.

Taylor was a native of Harrisville, Utah and studied at what is today Weber State University. He received a bachelor's degree from the University of Utah in 1921 and an MA from Columbia University in 1925. Taylor then taught at Weber, followed by serving as president of Gila Academy (the predecessor for Eastern Arizona College). He then was principal of Mesa Union High School and later superintendent of the Mesa Public Schools.

Taylor became an administrative assistant to Ernest L. Wilkinson at Brigham Young University (BYU) in 1952. Taylor also held supervisory roles over Ricks College. During Wilkinson's campaign for Senate in 1964, Taylor was both interim president at BYU and the Chancellor of the Unified School System. After Wilkinson's return to BYU, he resumed his job as BYU president, while Taylor continued to oversee non-BYU schools. Taylor's position was renamed Administrator of the Unified Church School System. Neal A. Maxwell replaced Taylor in 1970, and Taylor retired in 1971.

Early and young adult life Born August 28, 1894, in Harrisville, Weber County, Utah, Harvey was the first of two children born to Harvey Daniel Taylor and Letty Saunders. His parents were twenty-three and nineteen, respectively, at the time of Taylor's birth. Taylor never knew his biological father, who died suddenly of typhoid fever when Taylor was ten months old. Seven months after his father's death, Taylor's sister was born. During those first few years, Letty earned twenty-five cents a day to clean laundry for a neighbor. The family was mainly reared and supported by Taylor's grandmother.

In 1899, Taylor's mother married Samuel S. Ferrin and the family moved into the small Ferrin farm home in Pleasant View, Weber County. After Wilkinson's loss in the Senate race, President McKay invited him back to BYU to fill both positions, but the executive committee determined that Taylor should continue his duties over all church educational institutions, with the title of "administrator" instead of "chancellor", probably to reflect that the position was not one within the university.