Rev. Polk Taylor (September 8, 1833 – June 18, 1934) was a formerly enslaved American Methodist minister who was inaccurately reported to have been owned by two former U.S. presidents, James K. Polk and Zachary Taylor. ^[1] However, this claim was not quite right: He had been the property of Taylor's daughter "Ann Eliza Taylor," and had merely been named for Polk. ^[2] Taylor's daughter later gave Polk Taylor to her niece as a gift. ^[3] Taylor had three daughters who survived to adulthood, the oldest was Ann, the youngest was Eliza; it's unclear which one owned Polk Taylor.

Polk Taylor was born 1833 in Brownsville, Tennessee. ^[4] His father was Tom Alexander, a native of Tennessee; ^{[4] [5]} Polk Taylor's mother is recorded in his death certificate as "Phyllis," a native of Africa, ^[5] and on his second marriage documents she is listed as Phyllis Richard. ^[6] Polk Taylor was apparently manumitted sometime around 1858 and then studied for the Methodist ministry. ^[2] A Rev. Polk Taylor of Texas is listed in a directory of contributors to a Baptist missionary fund in 1887. ^[7] He lived for some time in Colorado, where he seemingly lived and preached in Calhan. ^[8] His wife and adult son both died in 1913 and services were held for them in Colorado Springs. ^[9] He moved to Washington state about 1915. ^[2] On December 30, 1921, at age 83, he remarried to a 42-year-old divorcée named Lizzie Smith Clay. ^[10] In Washington, he was called "Uncle," tended a vegetable garden at his home, and voted in every election. ^[11] He died June 18, 1934, of chronic myocarditis at the county home in Yakima, Washington, at age 100. ^{[5] [1] [12]}

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