| Richard Ray Taylor | |
| Birth Date: | 21 November 1922 |
| Birth Place: | Prairieburg, Iowa, US |
| Death Place: | Arlington, Virginia, US |
| Placeofburial Label: | Place of burial |
| Branch: | United States Army |
| Serviceyears: | 1945–1977 |
| Rank: | Lieutenant general |
| Commands: | Surgeon General of the US Army |
| Battles: | World War II Korean War Cold War Vietnam War |
| Awards: | Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit (2) Bronze Star Medal |
| Relations: | First wife, Betty Lou Simson, mother of Carolyn and Richard |
Richard Ray Taylor (November 21, 1922 – November 8, 1978) was a lieutenant general in the United States military and served as the 33rd Surgeon General of the United States Army.
Born on November 21, 1922, in Prairieburg, Iowa. He was raised in the small town of Norton, Kansas. His father and two of his four brothers were physicians. His father, Charles Fletcher Taylor, MD was the Superintendent of the State Sanatorium for Tuberculosis, where his brother, David Taylor, MD also served on staff for a time. His mother, Harriet Taylor, was Kansas mother of the year. Dr. Taylor was one of eight siblings. His youngest brother, Danny, died in an automobile accident while he was an architecture student at the University of Kansas. Richard Taylor graduated with a BS from the University of Chicago in 1944 and later from the University of Chicago School of Medicine with his MD in 1946.
He worked his way up in ranks in the army from First Lieutenant in 1946 to Colonel in 1964, and eventually to Surgeon General of the US Army in October 1973. He was also in charge of M.A.S.H. units in Vietnam.
He died on November 8, 1978, at Arlington Hospital (now known as Virginia Hospital Center) in Arlington, Virginia. His first wife died of polio in 1949. He is survived by his wife, Frances Colby Taylor, his daughter, Carolyn Jean, and his four sons, Richard Ray Jr., Colby Fletcher, Bryan Dudley, and David Webster.
Lieutenant General Richard R. Taylor's ribbon bar:
| 1st Row | Army Distinguished Service Medal | Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd Row | Bronze Star Medal | Joint Service Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster | Army Commendation Medal | |||||||
| 3rd Row | World War II Victory Medal | National Defense Service Medal with oak leaf cluster | ||||||||
| 4th Row | Korean Service Medal | Vietnam Service Medal with four service stars | Vietnam Army Distinguished Service Order, 1st Class | |||||||
| 5th Row | Vietnam Meritorious Medical Award | United Nations Korea Medal | Vietnam Campaign Medal | |||||||
| Badge | Office of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge | |||||||||