Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia

B. Winston Taliaferro

A look at the contributions of B. Winston Taliaferro to the history Thomas Jefferson Foundation.

B. Winston Taliaferro (1911-1963) was a vice-president at the Peoples National Bank (later Virginia National Bank), under William S. Hildreth, president of the Bank, and an officer of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation for six years.

In 1944, following the death of Stuart G. Gibboney, Taliaferro was elected Assistant Treasurer of the Foundation to serve with Hildreth, who was elected Treasurer. Mrs. Webel, secretary to Gibboney, made a special trip to Charlottesville to acquaint Taliaferro with the filing system Gibboney had used while at Monticello. In 1948, Taliaferro was appointed as Resident Agent for the Foundation and lived in the Weaver's Cottage on Mulberry Row. In addition to his financial duties, he was in charge of the tickets, reported to the Board on the condition of the fire protection system in the house, purchased equipment for the Gift Shop, ordered postcards, installed directional signs for the visitors, and responded to visitor inquiries. In conducting the Foundation's business, he continued to use, in part, a number of the files established by Gibboney.

In the fall of 1949 he became ill, and by the end of the year had requested a six-month medical leave of absence. Apparently, his health was expected to improve, for in January of 1950, the Board elected him to the offices of Treasurer and Secretary; however, by the spring of 1950 he was incapacitated, and in the summer he moved from the Weaver's Cottage to Florida. In September he tendered his resignation as Treasurer and Secretary. He died in June of 1963 and was buried in Hillside Cemetery in Ormond Beach, Florida.

- Text from Anna G. Koester, Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation Archives: Collection Guide and Catalog (October 1998): 19-20; additions by Anna Berkes, 10/12/2012

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