Morehouse College interim president has died

ATLANTA (AP) - An interim president at one of the nation’s top historically black colleges based in Atlanta has died.

Morehouse College said in a statement that William J. Taggart died Thursday morning. He was 55. The cause of his death has not been released.

Taggart was named interim president in April after replacing John Wilson, who was fired three months before his contract expired. The school’s statement says Taggart had a “positive impact on Morehouse College and the greater Atlanta business community.”

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said in a statement that he is “saddened” by Taggart’s death. The mayor says Taggart was a “respected businessman and devoted father and husand.”

Taggart was previously the COO of Morehouse since 2015. His responsibilities were to transform the institutional development, technology, campus operations, and human resources functions of the college.

Prior to Morehouse, Taggart worked for the Atlanta Life Financial Group and served as the COO for the Office of Federal Student Aid.