Robert Rives Taylor was born on December 13, 1882, near Emporia, Virginia. Taylor was an insurance agent in Gatesville, North Carolina, who served as chairman of the Gates County Exemption Board during World War I. He was later district manager of Equitable Life Assurance Society, a position held for 30 years, in Greenville and Elizabeth City. Taylor died in Greenville (Pitt County) on November 28, 1949.