Marshall Walter Major Taylor Congressional Gold Medal Act

Marshall Walter “Major” Taylor was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on November 26, 1878, to Black parents who likely had been enslaved in Kentucky, and died impoverished on June 21, 1932, in a hospital charity ward in Chicago, Illinois.

As a child, Taylor spent considerable time at the home of a wealthy White family in Indianapolis who employed his father as a coachman, treated the Black youngster as an equal to their son, Daniel Southard, and gave Taylor his first bicycle.

Taylor acquired the nickname “Major” in his youth when he performed bicycle tricks outside his workplace, the Hay & Willits bike shop in Indianapolis, while wearing a military-style jacket, and he won his first bike race in 1890 at age 11.

Taylor moved to Worcester, Massachusetts, with his employer, mentor, and racing manager, Louis D. “Birdie” Munger, in 1895, and became known in his sport not only for his lightning sprints but also for his good sportsmanship, disciplined physical training, and devotion to his religion.

Taylor received a professional racing license from the League of American Wheelmen at age 18 despite the League’s 1894 “whites only” rule for amateur membership and made his professional debut in December 1896 in a 6-day race at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York, defeating national champion Eddie Bald in a half-mile exhibition race on the eve of the 6-day endurance contest and placing eighth in the 6-day track cycling competition.

In 1897, Taylor earned a spot alongside 4 White men on one of the first racially integrated professional sports teams in the United States, a 5-man squad that won a Boston v. Philadelphia pursuit race held in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Taylor set numerous world speed records and held 7 world records at the end of 1898 for various distances, including the coveted 1 mile, and he further lowered the 1-mile world record to 1 minute, 19 seconds in 1899.

Taylor overcame racial prejudice throughout his career, showing remarkable dignity in the face of closed doors and open hostility, including race-based denial of meals and lodging, racist cartoons and caricatures, bureaucratic maneuvers that threatened his racing eligibility, race-based exclusion from certain tracks and competitions on the national circuit, plots and tactics by White opponents to box him in on the track, cause him to crash, or prevent him from competing in the first place, a post-race choking by a competitor on a racetrack in Taunton, Massachusetts, that left Taylor unconscious, objections by White neighbors to his purchase of a house in Worcester, and a death threat signed “White Riders” that was delivered in Savannah, Georgia.

Taylor was one of the first Black athletes to secure corporate sponsorship, representing bicycle brands such as Iver Johnson, Sager, Stearns, and Orient, and he became one of the wealthiest Black men in the United States and a substantial benefactor to his church in Worcester.

Taylor pioneered the use of an innovative adjustable handlebar stem, using the extension to improve his aerodynamic position, and to this day this type of outrigger is called a Major Taylor stem.

Taylor won the world 1-mile sprint championship in Montreal on August 10, 1899, becoming the second Black athlete to win a world title in any sport, and won the United States championship later that year.

As a devout Christian, Taylor refused for years to race on Sundays, and accordingly he turned down lucrative offers to race in Europe, until, by virtue of his international superstardom, he could negotiate a “no Sundays” provision in a European racing contract for 1901.

Finding refuge in France, where he was still often the only Black racer on the track, Taylor defeated every European champion during the course of 6 tours of Europe from 1901 to 1909 and also had numerous racing successes in Australia and New Zealand.

After retiring from racing in 1910 and finding little success in the business world, Taylor wrote his 1928 autobiography, “The Fastest Bicycle Rider in the World”, with an appeal for “simple justice, equal rights, and a square deal” for African Americans in sports and “every . . . human endeavor”, as well as advice for youth on good sportsmanship and clean living.

Drawing on exemplary determination and perseverance, Taylor demonstrated not only dominant athletic prowess but also tremendous strength of character as he broke racial barriers, reached the pinnacle of international sport, and served as a role model for generations to come.

Presentation authorized— The Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the posthumous presentation, on behalf of the Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design in commemoration of Marshall Walter “Major” Taylor, in recognition of his significance to the nation as an athlete, trailblazer, role model, and equal rights advocate.

Design and striking— For purposes of the presentation referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (referred to in this Act as the “Secretary”) shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary. The design shall bear an image of, and an inscription of the name of Marshall Walter “Major” Taylor.

Disposition of medal— Following the presentation of the gold medal under subsection (a), the gold medal shall be given to the great-granddaughter of Marshall Walter “Major” Taylor, Karen Donovan.

National medals— The medals struck under this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.

Numismatic items— For purposes of sections 5134 and 5136 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items.

Authority To use fund amounts— There is authorized to be charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund such amounts as may be necessary to pay for the costs of the medals struck under this Act.

Proceeds of sales— Amounts received from the sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under section 4 shall be deposited into the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.