John Tayloe III (September 2, 1770March 23, 1828), of Richmond County, Virginia, was a planter, politician, businessman, and tidewater gentry scion. He was prominent in elite social circles. A highly successful planter and thoroughbred horse breeder, he was considered the "wealthiest man of his day". A military officer, he also served in the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate of Virginia for nine years. The Tayloe family of Richmond County, including his father, John Tayloe II, and grandfather, John Tayloe I, exemplified gentry entrepreneurship. Early years Tayloe was born September 2, or September 13, 1770. the son of John Tayloe II and Rebecca (née Plater) Tayloe, herself from a long-established Maryland gentry family. Her brother was George Plater and brother-in-law was Edward Lloyd III. His paternal grandfather was Col. John Tayloe I of the Old House; and great grandfather was Col William Tayloe, the nephew of the original settler Col William Tayloe of Kingsmill Plantation, husband of Elizabeth Kingsmill, daughter of Richard Kingsmill of the Virginia Company. Of the nine children in Tayloe's family, a twin brother did not survive more than a few days, and two sisters died while babies. His surviving siblings were girls. Tayloe was educated in England at Eton prior to 1788, when he entered Christ's College, Cambridge. His classmates included Wellington, Canning, and Edward Thornton. He was socially involved with Waterford, Lord Graves, and Grey Skipwith, like him, a native of Virginia. Career "He succeeded to the largest estate in Virginia" upon his return to the United States in 1790; as he was the only surviving son after his father's death in 1779. Tayloe was named in his father's will to receive most of his slaves, personal property, land and business interests. When his inheritance was turned over to him, the income was US$60,000; within a few years, he increased this to US$75,000. He owned or purchased Gwinfield in Essex County; Douge, Hopyard, and Oaken Brow in King George County; Deep Hole, Neabsco, and Windsor in Prince William County; Doctor's Hall, Forkland, Marske, Menokin, Mount Airy, and Old House in Richmond County, and Nanjemoy in Charles County, Md. His father's iron and shipbuilding interests were conserved and enlarged by Tayloe. His master shipbuilder at Occoquan was his slave, Reuben. Of Tayloe's other slaves, he reportedly sold 50 of them, mostly young girls, during the period of 1809 through 1828. In addition to shipbuilding at Neabsco