Former Maryland House Speaker Casper Taylor dies at 88

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Former Maryland House Speaker Casper Taylor died Monday. He was 88.

Gov. Wes Moore said Taylor's work as a leading state lawmaker "left an impact on this state that will reverberate for generations to come."

"Speaker Taylor served Maryland with distinction for nearly three decades, as a member of the House of Delegates and one of the longest serving Speakers of the House in the history of our state," Moore said in a statement. "We are so grateful for his years of public service, and celebrate his many accomplishments which Marylanders benefit greatly from every day."

Taylor, a Democrat from western Maryland, represented a district in Allegany County.

He served as a member of the House of Delegates from 1975 to 2003 and was the speaker from 1994 to 2003. He was a native of Cumberland, Maryland.