I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 6672 

To award a Congressional Gold Medal posthumously to Marshall Walter 

‘‘Major’’ Taylor in recognition of his significance to the nation as an 

athlete, trailblazer, role model, and equal rights advocate. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 7, 2023 

Mr. JACKSON of Illinois (for himself, Mr. BAIRD, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. 

KELLY of Illinois, Mr. CARSON, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Ms. LEE of 

California, Ms. NORTON, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. QUIGLEY, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, Ms. MOORE

of Wisconsin, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. THOMPSON of California, Ms. 

CROCKETT, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. ADAMS, Mr. GREEN of Texas, Ms. TLAIB, 

Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Mrs. CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK, Mr. GARCI ́A of Illinois, Mr. TRONE, Ms. KUSTER, Mr. DUARTE, Mr. TONY GONZALES of 

Texas, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Mrs. DINGELL, Mr. LIEU, Mr. WILSON

of South Carolina, and Mr. FROST) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Financial Services 

A BILL 

To award a Congressional Gold Medal posthumously to Marshall Walter ‘‘Major’’ Taylor in recognition of his significance to the nation as an athlete, trailblazer, role model, 

and equal rights advocate. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the as the ‘‘Marshall ‘Major’ 

3 Taylor Congressional Gold Medal Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress finds the following: 

6 (1) Marshall Walter ‘‘Major’’ Taylor was born 

7 in Indianapolis, Indiana, on November 26, 1878, to 

8 Black parents who likely had been enslaved in Ken9 tucky, and died impoverished on June 21, 1932, in 

10 a hospital charity ward in Chicago, Illinois. 

11 (2) As a child, Taylor spent considerable time 

12 at the home of a wealthy White family in Indianap13 olis who employed his father as a coachman, treated 

14 the Black youngster as an equal to their son, Daniel 

15 Southard, and gave Taylor his first bicycle. 

16 (3) Taylor acquired the nickname ‘‘Major’’ in 

17 his youth when he performed bicycle tricks outside 

18 his workplace, the Hay & Willits bike shop in Indi19 anapolis, while wearing a military-style jacket, and 

20 he won his first bike race in 1890 at age 11. 

21 (4) Taylor moved to Worcester, Massachusetts, 

22 with his employer, mentor, and racing manager, 

23 Louis D. ‘‘Birdie’’ Munger, in 1895, and became 

24 known in his sport not only for his lightning sprints 

25 but also for his good sportsmanship, disciplined 

26 physical training, and devotion to his religion. 


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1 (5) Taylor received a professional racing license 

2 from the League of American Wheelmen at age 18 

3 despite the League’s 1894 ‘‘whites only’’ rule for 

4 amateur membership and made his professional 

5 debut in December 1896 in a six-day race at Madi6 son Square Garden in New York, New York, defeat7 ing national champion Eddie Bald in a half-mile ex8 hibition race on the eve of the six-day endurance 

9 contest and placing eighth in the six-day track cy10 cling competition. 

11 (6) In 1897, Taylor earned a spot alongside 4 

12 White men on one of the first racially integrated 

13 professional sports teams in the nation, a five-man 

14 squad that won a Boston vs. Philadelphia pursuit 

15 race held in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

16 (7) Taylor set numerous world speed records 

17 and held 7 world records at the end of 1898 for var18 ious distances, including the coveted 1 mile, and he 

19 further lowered the 1-mile world record to 1 minute, 

20 19 seconds in 1899. 

21 (8) Taylor overcame racial prejudice throughout 

22 his career, showing remarkable dignity in the face of 

23 closed doors and open hostility, including race-based 

24 denial of meals and lodging; racist cartoons and 

25 caricatures; bureaucratic maneuvers that threatened 


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1 his racing eligibility; race-based exclusion from cer2 tain tracks and competitions on the national circuit; 

3 White opponents’ plots and tactics to box him in on 

4 the track, cause him to crash, or prevent him from 

5 competing in the first place; a post-race choking by 

6 a competitor on a racetrack in Taunton, Massachu7 setts, that left Taylor unconscious; White neighbors’ 

8 objections to his purchase of a house in Worcester; 

9 and a death threat signed ‘‘White Riders’’ that was 

10 delivered in Savannah, Georgia. 

11 (9) Taylor was one of the first Black athletes 

12 to secure corporate sponsorship, representing bicycle 

13 brands such as Iver Johnson, Sager, Stearns, and 

14 Orient, and he became one of the wealthiest Black 

15 men in America and a substantial benefactor to his 

16 church in Worcester. 

17 (10) Taylor pioneered the use of an innovative 

18 adjustable handlebar stem, using the extension to 

19 improve his aerodynamic position, and to this day 

20 this type of outrigger is called a Major Taylor stem. 

21 (11) Taylor won the world 1-mile sprint cham22 pionship in Montreal on August 10, 1899, becoming 

23 the second Black athlete to win a world title in any 

24 sport, and won the United States championship later 

25 that year. 


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1 (12) As a devout Christian, Taylor refused for 

2 years to race on Sundays, and accordingly he turned 

3 down lucrative offers to race in Europe, until, by vir4 tue of his international superstardom, he could nego5 tiate a ‘‘no Sundays’’ provision in a European racing 

6 contract for 1901. 

7 (13) Finding refuge in France, where he was 

8 still often the only Black racer on the track, Taylor 

9 defeated every European champion during the 

10 course of six tours of Europe from 1901 to 1909 

11 and also had numerous racing successes in Australia 

12 and New Zealand. 

13 (14) After retiring from racing in 1910 and 

14 finding little success in the business world, Taylor 

15 wrote his 1928 autobiography, ‘‘The Fastest Bicycle 

16 Rider in the World,’’ with an appeal for ‘‘simple jus17 tice, equal rights, and a square deal’’ for African 

18 Americans in sports and ‘‘every . . . human endeav19 or,’’ as well as advice for youth on good sportsman20 ship and clean living. 

21 (15) Drawing on exemplary determination and 

22 perseverance, Taylor demonstrated not only domi23 nant athletic prowess but also tremendous strength 

24 of character as he broke racial barriers, reached the 


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1 pinnacle of international sport, and served as a role 

2 model for generations to come. 

3 SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

4 (a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of 

5 the House of Representatives and the President pro tem6 pore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements 

7 for the posthumous presentation, on behalf of the Con8 gress, of a gold medal of appropriate design in commemo9 ration of Marshall Walter ‘‘Major’’ Taylor, in recognition 

10 of his significance to the nation as an athlete, trailblazer, 

11 role model, and equal rights advocate. 

12 (b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For purposes of the 

13 presentation referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary 

14 of the Treasury (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Sec15 retary’’) shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, 

16 devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Sec17 retary. The design shall bear an image of, and inscription 

18 of the name of Marshall Walter ‘‘Major’’ Taylor. 

19 (c) DISPOSITION OF MEDAL.—Following the award 

20 of the gold medal under subsection (a), the gold medal 

21 shall be given to the great-granddaughter of Marshall 

22 Walter ‘‘Major’’ Taylor, Karen Donovan. 

23 SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 

24 The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 

25 bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to section 3 at 


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1 a price sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor, 

2 materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses. 

3 SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 

4 (a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—The medals struck pursu5 ant to this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 

6 51 of title 31, United States Code. 

7 (b) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of section 

8 5134 and 5136 of title 31, United States Code, all medals 

9 struck under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic 

10 items. 

11 SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF 

12 SALE. 

13 (a) AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS.—There is 

14 authorized to be charged against the United States Mint 

15 Public Enterprise Fund such amounts as may be nec16 essary to pay for the costs of the medals struck pursuant 

17 to this Act. 

18 (b) PROCEEDS OF SALE.—The amounts received 

19 from the sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under 

20 section 4 shall be deposited into the United States Mint 

21 Public Enterprise Fund. 

Æ 


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