Born Frances Mildred Frick on April 21, 1905, in Lyons, the daughter of Louis and Belle Frick, Mildred attended Lyons Central School and for a short time the Rochester Business Institute.  She married Elijah Paul Taylor (1903–1969) on September 22, 1937. The couple she ran a coal retailing business in Lyons. 

Mildred became active in politics in 1940. She was a delegate to the 1940, 1948 and 1960 Republican National Conventions, and was an alternate delegate to the 1952 Republican National Convention. Mildred also served as Chairwomen of the Wayne County Republican Committee from 1943 to 1956. She was a member of the New York State Assembly from 1947 to 1960. In 1953, Mildred Taylor became the first woman appointed to the Assembly Committee on Ways and Means. She was a presidential elector in 1956, voting for Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard Nixon.

Mildred Taylor was honored on November 1, 1998, named as the “First Lady of Wayne County.” A historic marker was erected on Route 14 in Lyons in her honor recognizing all her achievements as a strong influence in New York State politics for over 50 years. The historic marker is located near the site where her parents ran a livery stable in the village.

During Taylor’s service on the NYS Assembly, she was responsible for creating the Committee for the Preservation of Historic Sites. This committee, upon which she served a chair, saw to the provision of funds for historical sites throughout New York State, including the Erie Canal, the homes of Edgar Allen Poe, Alexander Hamilton, and Theodore Roosevelt. In 1955, Taylor was responsible for making the rose the state flower of New York and the Monroe apple as our state apple.

Mildred Taylor died on January 4, 1981, in Clifton Springs Hospital. She is buried at the South Lyons Cemetery in Lyons.