Bill Taylor
Born 1947 · Age 78
American diplomat, former U.S. Army captain and company commander, served as U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine (2006–2009) and Chargé d’affaires to Ukraine (2019–2020); long career in defense and foreign assistance, including senior reconstruction roles in Afghanistan and Iraq.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in New Mexico
William Brockenbrough Taylor Jr. born to Nancy Dare (Aitcheson) and William Brockenbrough Newton Taylor (later a USACE R&D director).
Graduated Mount Vernon High School
Graduated Mount Vernon High School (Mount Vernon, VA); served as president of both junior and senior classes.
Graduated United States Military Academy (West Point, BS)
Graduated West Point, served as cadet battalion commander, ranked in top 1% of his class.
Commissioned and began U.S. Army service
Entered active service as an Army officer after West Point graduation; began six years of infantry service (service years listed as 1969–1975).
Deployed to Vietnam — 101st Airborne (506th Infantry)
Served ~18 months in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne, as a rifle company commander in Quang Tri and Thua Tien provinces.
Earned Combat Infantryman Badge
Awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge for service in ground combat during the Vietnam War.
Awarded Bronze Star Medal
Received the Bronze Star for service in the Vietnam War (heroism/merit).
Awarded Air Medal with 'V' device and Combat Infantryman Badge
Received an Air Medal with 'V' for valor and the Combat Infantryman Badge for combat service in Vietnam.
Opted to extend Vietnam tour by six months
Although eligible to return home after a year of service, he voluntarily extended his tour by six months.
Aero-rifle commander — 2nd Cavalry Regiment in Germany
Served as an aero-rifle commander in the 2nd Cavalry Regiment in Germany (post-Vietnam assignment).
Left the U.S. Army (end of active service)
Concluded active military service in 1975 after approximately six years; held rank of Captain and company commander.
Completed MPP at Harvard Kennedy School
Earned a Master of Public Policy (MPP) from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Director, Emergency Preparedness Policy — Department of Energy
Served as DOE Director of Emergency Preparedness Policy, coordinating contingency planning with multiple federal agencies.
Legislative Assistant to Senator Bill Bradley (approx.)
Served for five years as a Legislative Assistant on the staff of U.S. Senator Bill Bradley (D–NJ). Exact start/end years not specified in source.
Directed a Department of Defense think tank at Fort McNair
Led a DoD think tank based at Fort Lesley J. McNair (dates not precisely specified).
Special Deputy Defense Advisor to U.S. Ambassador to NATO (Brussels)
Served a five-year assignment in Brussels as Special Deputy Defense Advisor to the U.S. Ambassador to NATO (William Howard Taft IV). Exact years approximated from source wording.
Rank of Ambassador — Coordination for Eastern Europe/former USSR
From 1992 to 2002 he served with the rank of ambassador coordinating assistance to Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.
Special Representative for Donor Assistance — Kabul
Accepted assignment in Kabul coordinating U.S. and international donor assistance to Afghanistan; helped facilitate repatriation and reconstruction.
Facilitated major Afghan repatriation and reconstruction
In his Kabul role, facilitated repatriation of roughly 2,000,000 Afghan refugees and supported restoration of services and more than 80 infrastructure projects.
Oversaw political and economic reconstruction policy for Afghanistan
As Afghanistan Coordinator oversaw all aspects of U.S. policy toward Afghanistan in a critical political development and reconstruction period.
Appointed Afghanistan Coordinator — U.S. Department of State
Secretary of State Colin Powell appointed Taylor as Afghanistan Coordinator overseeing U.S. policy toward Afghanistan (press release dated July 10, 2003).
U.S. government representative to Quartet Special Envoy (Jerusalem)
From 2004 until 2006 served as U.S. Government representative to the Quartet's economic effort facilitating the Israeli disengagement from Gaza and parts of the West Bank.
Director, Iraq Reconstruction Management Office (Baghdad)
Transferred to Baghdad in 2004 to serve as Director of the Iraq Reconstruction Management Office.
Nominated U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine
President George W. Bush nominated Taylor to be U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine while Taylor was Senior Consultant to the Coordinator of Reconstruction and Stabilization at State.
Embassy staff composition noted
At assumption of duties, Embassy Kyiv had over 650 employees drawn from nine U.S. government departments and agencies.
Confirmed by U.S. Senate as Ambassador to Ukraine
The U.S. Senate confirmed Taylor's nomination to be Ambassador to Ukraine on May 26, 2006.
Sworn in as U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine
Sworn in on June 5, 2006; assumed responsibilities shortly thereafter (official in-office date June 21, 2006).
Assumed post as U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine
Officially in office as U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine beginning June 21, 2006; embassy was the fifth-largest bilateral mission in Europe at the time.
Embassy commentary widely used in Washington
The embassy under Taylor produced extensive, timely commentary on Ukraine's relations with the EU, NATO and Russia, valued by Washington end-users (OIG report).
State Dept. OIG Report Praised His Leadership
March 2007 Department of State Office of the Inspector General report praised Taylor for taking charge of the embassy in a 'remarkably effective' way.
Left post as U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine
Departed his ambassadorial post in late May 2009 (listed end of service May 23, 2009).
Successor John Tefft nominated
President Barack Obama nominated John Tefft as U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine on September 30, 2009 (Tefft later arrived December 2009).
Worked with Quartet Special Envoy James Wolfensohn
Represented the U.S. in Quartet economic efforts relating to Israeli disengagement while coordinating with Special Envoy James Wolfensohn.
Detail from USIP to State Dept. as Special Coordinator
US Institute of Peace detailed Taylor to State Dept. to head the newly created Middle East Transitions Office effective Sept. 6, 2011 (USIP press release).
Coordinated assistance to Arab transition countries (2011–2013)
From 2011 through 2013 coordinated U.S. assistance to Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Syria during the Arab uprisings.
Met with interim Fallujah city council (Iraq)
Engaged with Iraqi local leaders during reconstruction efforts (photo caption notes meeting with Fallujah city council, April 2005; this entry records his documented engagement during reconstruction).
Father's obituary published
Obituary for William B. Taylor Sr., Taylor's father (former director of R&D for USACE) published April 14, 2011 in The Washington Post.
Appointed Special Coordinator for Middle East Transitions (State Dept.)
Returned to the State Department as Special Coordinator for Middle East Transitions (effective Sept 6, 2011) to coordinate U.S. support for Arab transition countries.
Served as Acting Executive Vice President — US Institute of Peace
Served in an acting capacity as Executive Vice President of the United States Institute of Peace for about a year prior to formal appointment.
Advocated sanctions vs. Russia
In USIP role he publicly supported continuing or increasing U.S. sanctions on Russia for aggression toward Ukraine.
Public statement urging G-20 caution on Trump-Putin meeting
Publicly urged caution—stated Trump should not sit with Putin at G-20 summit (NPR coverage Nov 29, 2018 references his views; included here as part of public commentary profile).
Named Executive Vice President — United States Institute of Peace
Appointed Executive Vice President at USIP (press release July 20, 2015) after serving in the role in an acting capacity.
Named 'unsung diplomat' in press coverage during impeachment inquiry
Media profiles (AP, Washington Post, NYT, etc.) highlighted Taylor as a key career diplomat and unlikely central figure in the impeachment inquiry.
Deposed as key witness in impeachment inquiry (described as inflection point)
Taylor's opening statement and testimony were widely described as an inflection point in the House impeachment inquiry into the Trump–Ukraine scandal.
Quoted 'nightmare' text expressing fear aid withheld even after public interview
In his opening statement Taylor quoted a text expressing fear Ukrainians would publicly announce investigations and still not receive security assistance: 'The Russians love it. (And I quit.)'
Family — married to Deborah Furlan Taylor; two children
Personal milestone: married to Deborah Furlan Taylor (religion scholar); they have two children and four grandchildren (dates not specified).
Became Chargé d’Affaires ad interim to Ukraine
After the recall of Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, Taylor returned to Kyiv as Chargé d’Affaires ad interim for the U.S. mission to Ukraine (June 18, 2019).
Texted Gordon Sondland raising concern about aid conditioning
At 12:47:11 a.m. Taylor texted Sondland: 'I think it's crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign.' (Sept 9, 2019)
Sondland responded to Taylor's text
At 5:19:35 a.m. Gordon Sondland replied, asserting Taylor was 'incorrect' about the President's intentions and suggesting Taylor call State Dept. officials.
Release of Taylor–Sondland text messages
On Oct 3, 2019 it was publicly revealed Taylor had exchanged texts expressing concern that aid to Ukraine was being conditioned on investigations.
Deposition to House Intelligence Committee (closed-door)
Provided a closed-door deposition to the House Intelligence Committee as part of the impeachment inquiry (Oct 22, 2019).
Opening statement made public — implicated quid pro quo
Taylor's public opening statement (released Oct 22) said military aid and a White House meeting were conditioned on public announcements of investigations.
Op-ed in Kyiv's Novoye Vremya
Published an op-ed expressing the U.S. government's commitment to Ukraine: 'your success is our success.'
Public testimony before House Intelligence Committee (C-SPAN)
Testified publicly (Nov 13, 2019) alongside Deputy Assistant Secretary George Kent as part of the impeachment hearings.
Instructed to return to U.S. before Pompeo trip
In December 2019 Ulrich Brechbuhl informed Taylor he should return to the U.S. in early January 2020 before Secretary Pompeo's planned trip to Ukraine.
Interviewed on CBS '60 Minutes' (post-impeachment commentary)
Gave a televised interview discussing Ukraine, U.S. policy, and the threats posed by Russia (exact broadcast date unspecified in source).
Public statement that no State Department officials believed Ukraine-2016 theory
In post-inquiry interviews Taylor asserted that no officials at the State Department believed the theory that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 election to hurt Trump.
Departed Ukraine and stepped down as Chargé d’affaires
Left Ukraine and formally stepped down from his temporary post on January 2, 2020 (vacancy rules would have allowed staying until Jan 8).
Participated in meeting on prosecuting the crime of aggression in Ukraine
Appeared with Ukrainian MPs and experts (Lesya Zaburanna, Anton Korynevych, David Scheffer) in a December 2022 meeting about prosecuting the crime of aggression in Ukraine.
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