Representative William Taylor Zenor - Contact Information

William Taylor Zenor (April 30, 1846 – June 2, 1916) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician who served five terms as a United States Representative from Indiana from 1897 to 1907. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented his constituents in the U.S. House of Representatives during a significant period in American history at the turn of the twentieth century, contributing to the legislative process over a decade of continuous service.

Zenor was born near Corydon, Harrison County, Indiana, on April 30, 1846. He attended the common schools of the area and pursued further study at the James G. May Seminary, a local institution that provided him with a foundation for his later professional training. His early life in southern Indiana, in and around Corydon, shaped his long-standing connection to the communities he would later serve as attorney, judge, and congressman.

After completing his preliminary education, Zenor studied law in New Albany, Indiana. He was admitted to the bar in 1870 and commenced the practice of law in Corydon. In 1871 he moved to Leavenworth in Crawford County, Indiana, where he continued his legal practice. These early years at the bar established his reputation as a capable attorney and prepared him for a career that would increasingly involve public office and judicial responsibilities.

Zenor entered public service as a prosecuting attorney, serving Crawford and Harrison Counties from 1879 to 1885. In this role he was responsible for representing the state in criminal proceedings, gaining extensive courtroom experience and public visibility. His performance as prosecutor led to his elevation to the bench; from 1885 to 1897 he served as judge of the third judicial circuit of Indiana. Over these twelve years as a circuit judge, he presided over a wide range of civil and criminal cases, reinforcing his standing as a respected jurist in the state.

In 1897 Zenor transitioned from the judiciary to the national legislature. He was elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-fifth Congress and was subsequently reelected to the four succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1897, to March 3, 1907. During his five consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, he participated in the democratic process at the federal level and represented the interests of his Indiana constituents during an era marked by industrial expansion, the Spanish-American War, and the early Progressive movement. As a member of the House, William Taylor Zenor contributed to the legislative process and took part in debates and votes on the major issues confronting the nation at the time.

At the conclusion of his congressional service in 1907, Zenor returned to private life and resumed the practice of law in Corydon, Indiana. He continued to be active in his profession and remained a figure of influence in his home region. In 1910 he moved back to New Albany, Indiana, where he again engaged in the practice of law, maintaining his legal work there for the remainder of his life.

William Taylor Zenor continued practicing law in New Albany until his death on June 2, 1916, at the age of 70. He died in New Albany and was returned to his longtime home community for burial. He was interred in Cedar Hill Cemetery in Corydon, Indiana, closing a career that had spanned private practice, local prosecution, judicial service, and a decade in the United States Congress.