Van Taylor

About Van Taylor

Marine officer, legislator, investor — and a seventh-generation Texan.

Van Taylor and Makena Timmins
Van Taylor and Makena Timmins — she is the more decorated veteran, and (tongue in cheek) the targeting officer of our unit.

Biography

A seventh-generation Texan, Van Taylor is a family man, businessman, and decorated Iraq War veteran. Growing up in Midland, he earned the rank of Eagle Scout, receiving the award from future President George W. Bush. After high school, he attended Harvard College, from which he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in history, graduating in three years.

After graduating, Van volunteered to serve his country and received a commission in the United States Marine Corps. He attended The Basic School and the Infantry Officer Course, graduated first in his class from the Sniper Employment Officer Course, and completed Intelligence School as the Marine Honor Graduate. He commanded the 1st Marine Regiment’s Reconnaissance Platoon at Camp Pendleton, California, and served as an intelligence officer for an artillery battalion, earning the Navy Achievement Medal for devising a quantitative combat power analysis system. In the Marine Corps Reserve, while earning his MBA at Harvard Business School, he served with the 4th Civil Affairs Group, graduated from the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg, and served as a platoon commander with Charlie Company, 4th Reconnaissance Battalion. Deploying to Iraq in 2003, he led his platoon into Iraq for his brigade and earned the Navy Commendation Medal with “V” for valor at An Nasiriyah.

In the U.S. House, Congressman Taylor served in the 116th Congress on the Committee on Homeland Security — the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Innovation (CIPI) and the Subcommittee on Oversight, Management, and Accountability (OMA) — and on the Committee on Education and Labor — the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education and the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions (HELP). He later served on the Financial Services Committee and co-chaired the bipartisan For Country Caucus.

Today, Van is a Venture Partner at Hale Capital and Vice Chairman of Texas Gulf Bancshares, working with founders, portfolio companies, and a Texas community bank on cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, defense technology, and financial services.

Early Life and Education

Van Taylor was born in 1972 in Dallas, Texas, and grew up in Midland.

After attending public school in Midland, Texas, I went off to boarding school for grades 9–12 at St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire. It was far from home, and cold. I went from a straight-A honor roll student to just barely passing. But I buckled down and applied myself, in and out of the classroom.

I was President of the Rifle Club, Vice President of the Computer Club, and business manager of the school paper, turning a profit there for the first time in its 45-year history. I captained the undefeated debate team, stroked an undefeated New England championship crew team, and served as Head Acolyte. I graduated magna cum laude, earned four distinctions and the Valpe Prize in Academics, won the European History essay contest, and earned admission to Harvard.

I was deeply honored to represent my native Texas at this renowned institution. At Harvard I rowed crew, played lacrosse, served in student government, and started a republican club. I graduated in three years, and every elective I took was at the graduate level — across the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Harvard Business School, and MIT Sloan School of Management. My honors thesis on the British West Indies sugar trade rebutted the Marxist claim that empires pay, focusing on the Brussels Sugar Convention of 1902. I used Advanced Standing to graduate a year early so I could serve as a United States Marine.

After active duty in the Marines, I threw myself into student life, traveling to Japan, the West Coast, and Austin to build my understanding of the emerging technology economy and international trade. I joined many clubs, built lifelong friendships, and focused on operations, finance, and leadership, graduating in the top 10% of my class.

Personal

Van is the father of three daughters and lives in Plano, Texas. Off duty, he hunts, skis, and runs; he finished his first marathon, the Marine Corps Marathon, in October 2026.

Career Timeline

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