Alexander Young (December 14, 1833July 2, 1910) was a mechanical engineer and politician in the

Kingdom of Hawaiʻi The Hawaiian Kingdom, or Kingdom of Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Ko Hawaiʻi Pae ʻĀina''), was a sovereign state located in the Hawaiian Islands. The country was formed in 1795, when the warrior chief Kamehameha the Great, of the ...

. He began as an apprentice for Alexander Chaplin & Co. in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, and then Anderson & Co. in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. He married Ruth Pearce in early 1860 and traveled to

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

on August 26, 1860, to construct a sawmill. The two (with one child) traveled to Hawaii in February 1865. They had nine surviving children. Young had operated a small foundry and machine shop in

Hilo, Hawaii Hilo () is a census-designated place (CDP) and the largest settlement in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States, which encompasses the Island of Hawaii. The population was 44,186 according to the 2020 census. It is the fourth-largest settlement i ...

, with William Lidgate, and business expanded with the growth of Hawaii's sugar plantations. He moved to

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

around 1869 and bought the Honolulu Iron Works from Thomas Hughes, who had revived the business after a devastating fire in 1860. In 1875

Theophilus Harris Davies Theophilus Harris Davies (4 January 1834 – 25 May 1898) was an English businessman. He was the founder of Theo H. Davies & Co., one of Hawaii's " Big Five" sugar firms. Life Davies was born in Stourbridge, Worcestershire, England, the son ...

refinanced the Honolulu Iron Works and hired Young as manager. The two then organized the Waiakea Mill Company. Around 1900 he formed the von Hamm-Young Company. Principals were Young's son Archibald Alfred Young and son-in-law Conrad Carl von Hamm. An early project was the Alexander Young Hotel. In 1887 he became a citizen of the

Kingdom of Hawaii The Hawaiian Kingdom, or Kingdom of Hawaiʻi ( Hawaiian: ''Ko Hawaiʻi Pae ʻĀina''), was a sovereign state located in the Hawaiian Islands. The country was formed in 1795, when the warrior chief Kamehameha the Great, of the independent island ...

, and from 1887 to 1892 served in the House of Nobles. After the 1893

overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii The overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom was a ''coup d'état'' against Queen Liliʻuokalani, which took place on January 17, 1893, on the island of Oahu and led by the Committee of Safety (Hawaii), Committee of Safety, composed of seven foreign ...

, he served on an advisory council for the

provisional Government of Hawaii The Provisional Government of Hawaii (abbr.: P.G.; Hawaiian: ''Aupuni Kūikawā o Hawaiʻi'') was proclaimed after the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom on January 17, 1893, by the 13-member Committee of Safety under the leadership of its ch ...

. From October 27, 1899, to May 18, 1900, he served as Minister of the Interior until the

Territory of Hawaii The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory ( Hawaiian: ''Panalāʻau o Hawaiʻi'') was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from April 30, 1900, until August 21, 1959, when most of its territory, excluding ...

government was established. After Young's death July 2, 1910, and Archibald's in 1925, von Hamm took over the business. It expanded to include automobile dealerships in the 1920s and other businesses. In 1964 it was renamed "The Hawaii Corporation". After von Hamm's death in 1965 the company eventually liquidated in one of Hawaii's first large bankruptcy cases.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Alexander 1833 births 1910 deaths 19th-century Scottish people Hawaiian Kingdom politicians People from Blackburn, West Lothian Scottish mechanical engineers Scottish emigrants to the United States Scottish emigrants to Canada Members of the Hawaiian Kingdom House of Nobles Republic of Hawaii Interior Ministers 19th-century Scottish businesspeople

See also

Notes