Prince Leslie "Squizzy" Taylor

Squizzy Taylor upon release in 1924 from Pentridge Prison

Leslie (full name Leslie Joseph Theodore "Squizzy" Taylor) was born the second-youngest of five children in the rural village of Elwood. His father, a coach builder, lost his job during the economic depression of the 1890s and was forced to move to the inner-city slum of Richmond in order to support his young family. There, young Leslie quickly fell in with the gangs and was arrested in the age of 19. By his early 20s, Taylor had amassed several criminal charges and had been in and out of institutions. A brief stint as an apprentice jockey came to naught, as Leslie's peers considered him too crooked to be trustworthy. His childhood crimes provided him with a network of friends, informants and spies, and the keen-witted Leslie soon drew upon his cronies to launch a successful career as a blackmailer and thief. He kept contacts among the police - turning informer on more than one occasion - and also had allies among the press. The trappings of wealth appealed to him, and Taylor became a regular visitor in the circles of Melbourne's elite.

A ruthless criminal mastermind, Taylor controlled Melbourne's illegal gambling, prostitution, and alcohol rackets, all while shirking the established criminal hierarchy. It was this rebellion against the kine's criminal hierarchy that attracted the attention of Kindred society, especially the Brujah. After Taylor's embrace in 1927, he rose quickly as a powerhouse amongst the Brujah and within Kindred circles and in 1973 cemented his place in Melbourne with a bloody coup against the previous Prince.

Taylor's rule has been stern and brutal, though he is wise enough to give the majority of his subjects outside of his clan enough leeway to not feel threatened by his rule. He brooks no opposition and rules by sheer force and power of will. While he shows favoritism to his clan, they are just a means to an end, and if they step out of line, Anarch or not, the full power of his office will descend upon them.