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Edsel Taylor was recognized with the Order of the Palmetto after a 51-year corrections career defined by leadership, rehabilitation efforts and decades of public service

This article is republished with permission from the .

Summerville Journal Scene

RIDGEVILLE, S.C. — Edsel Taylor, a Ridgeville resident who spent 51 years with the South Carolina Department of Corrections and became the nation’s longest-serving prison warden, has received the state’s highest civilian honor, the Order of the Palmetto.

“I had a hard time making parole,” he joked when asked about his longevity in the corrections field.

Taylor was presented the award during the July 20 meeting of the Dorchester County Council. The Order of the Palmetto recognizes citizens for extraordinary lifetime achievement, service and significant contributions to the state.

After serving a year in Vietnam, Taylor began his career at MacDougall Correctional Institution in 1969. Realizing he had a knack for administrative leadership, he applied for the warden position of a maximum-security prison in Columbia. Knowing that a handful of wardens had been terminated over the course of several years, he took the challenge in stride. His boss even joked, “If you can survive Vietnam, you can survive here.”

Taylor eventually returned to MacDougall as the warden, where he would retire. In addition to the corrections field, he served for 28 years in the U.S. Army Reserve, retiring as a lieutenant colonel.

While working at MacDougall, Taylor took on additional assignments with other South Carolina corrections facilities.

“I was extremely blessed to have good health and a lot of energy throughout my career,” Taylor said, boasting that he never took a day of sick leave as warden of five different South Carolina prisons.

A proponent of educational and rehabilitative efforts, Taylor established a housing unit for military veterans and oversaw construction of an inmate-built chapel. During his tenure, MacDougall Correctional Institution achieved accreditation from the American Correctional Association.

His military background influenced at least one of the prison programs of which he is most proud: a housing unit designed for incarcerated military veterans. The concept was intended to make it easier to provide services and benefits to veterans while fostering discipline and camaraderie among its residents.

The prison even allowed those inmates to have murals and their unit insignia on their cell walls.

“As I suspected what would happen, they meshed together really well, and it was an easier unit to manage,” Taylor said, adding that the unit developed a reputation for order and discipline. “You walked in, and it was like walking into a true military barracks.”

Taylor noted that education, vocational training and treatment programs are critical to reducing recidivism.

“You can’t simply lock someone up and expect them to be released as a normal person,” he said. “It’s our responsibility to try to make sure they are prepared to be a productive citizen when they get back on the street.”

Taylor remained in corrections through some of the agency’s most difficult periods, including the COVID-19 pandemic. He had planned to retire earlier but stayed on as the prison grappled with unprecedented challenges.

“[That period] made me so proud of our dedicated staff,” he said. “They did not give up.”

During his 51-year career, Taylor worked for nine corrections directors and felt supported by each one. At the same time, he learned to be flexible based on each director’s philosophy on how to run a prison.

Since retiring, Taylor has shifted his focus toward conservation, environmental stewardship and volunteer work.

He has helped secure permanent conservation easements, protecting critical natural areas.

Taylor serves as a master naturalist and works to establish and maintain wood duck habitats, including dozens of nesting sites around his wooded property.

“I truly love being in nature,” Taylor said, before quipping, “When you spend 51 years behind bars, you have a lot of time to make up and spend outdoors.”

As he approaches his 83rd birthday in August, Taylor boasted that his shift toward conservation work has kept him motivated, active and young in spirit.

“I haven’t made a penny since I retired, and I don’t plan to make a penny,” he added.

While accepting South Carolina’s highest civilian honor, Taylor emphasized that the recognition belonged to more than just himself.

“This award is something bigger than I am,” he said. “I was blessed to have employees who were dedicated, hardworking and always trying to do the best job they could or even finding ways to do it better.”

Taylor concluded that he and his colleagues always sought to make prison a “highway to a better life, instead of a dead-end for people.”

DORCHESTER COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – A Ridgeville man recognized as the nation’s longest-serving prison warden has received South Carolina’s highest civilian honor.

Edsel Taylor was presented with the Order of the Palmetto during a Dorchester County Council meeting Monday night in recognition of his lifetime of public service and contributions to South Carolina.

The Order of the Palmetto is awarded by the governor to South Carolinians who have demonstrated extraordinary achievement, service, and leadership.

Taylor devoted 51 years to the South Carolina Department of Corrections, ultimately serving as warden of MacDougall Correctional Institution. Throughout his career, Taylor became known for advancing rehabilitation, education, and innovative correctional programs.

According to Dorchester County, Taylor helped create a dedicated housing unit for military veterans and oversaw the construction of an inmate-built chapel at MacDougall. Under his leadership, the institution also earned accreditation from the American Correctional Association.

“I have heard countless stories about his integrity, and his character, and his many decades of service. So, I know just on the testimony alone he is worthy of the Order of the Palmetto,” said State Rep. Gil Gatch during Monday’s ceremony.

Beyond his corrections career, Taylor is a decorated Vietnam veteran who served as a Medical Service Corps officer before completing a 28-year career in the U.S. Army Reserve. He retired with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Following his retirement from corrections and military service, Taylor remained active in conservation and civic efforts throughout South Carolina. County officials said he has helped protect hundreds of acres of land through conservation easements and has served on numerous local boards and commissions.

In a social media post, Dorchester County described Taylor as a corrections leader, Army officer, conservationist and civic leader whose service to South Carolina has spanned more than five decades.