taylor had come to national prominence over prohibition even before he was first elected to parliament in the . a radical politician, he was interested in a variety of labour and liberal issues, but was a staunch opponent of richard seddon and always maintained his independence, going as far as refusing company ownership or joining cabinet. on a personal level, he was deeply popular with the population, and when he died aged 49 only months after having been elected mayor of christchurch, 50,000 people lined the streets during his funeral procession.