E. F. Young Jr. (July 13, 18981900 U.S. Census, Lauderdale County, Mississippi, household of Fred Young accessed on http://www.ancestry.com – May 4, 1950) was an American businessman in

Meridian, Mississippi Meridian is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, seventh largest city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, with a population of 41,148 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census and an estimated population in 2018 of 36,347. It is the count ...

, who built a business related to services, such as barber shops and beauty shops. He also manufactured and sold

hair care Hair care is an overall term for hygiene and cosmetology involving the hair which grows from the human scalp, and to a lesser extent facial, pubic and other body hair. Hair care routines differ according to an individual's culture and the physic ...

products developed for African Americans. Young manufactured products in

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, and Meridian. He also owned and operated the E. F. Young Hotel in Meridian. It was an important resource for black travelers in the years of segregation and provided good lodging. In 2007, the Young Hotel was listed as a contributing property to the Meridian Downtown Historic District, which is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

Early years

Eugene Fred Young Jr. was born in 1898 in

Russell, Mississippi Russell is an unincorporated community located in Lauderdale County, Mississippi. Russell is east-northeast of Meridian and approximately west-southwest of Toomsuba on U.S. Route 80 and is part of Meridian, Mississippi Micropolitan Statistica ...

, the son of E. F. Young Sr., a Methodist minister, farmer, and administrator,E. F. Young Jr. Manufacturing Co. official website and his wife Maggie. In 1927, after graduating from the

Haven Institute Haven Institute may refer to: * Haven Institute (Gabriola Island, Canada), a health centre on Gabriola Island, British Columbia * Haven Institute (Meridian, Mississippi), a former private historically black Methodist college See also * Haven ( ...

, Young set out to establish a business career. For an

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

man in the

Jim Crow The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States. Other areas of the United States were affected by formal and informal policies of segregation as well, but many states outside the Sout ...

South, opportunities were few and far between. While in school, he worked part-time as a barber, which was a good service career at the time. Barbers had connections in the upper classes of both the white and black communities, as men used their services extensively before razors and electric shavers were widely available. Upon graduation, Young began working full-time as a barber to support his new wife, Velma, and growing family.

Family

E. F. Young married Velma Beal in 1927. They had three children: *Loyce Young aniels-De Augustino-Todd(April 3, 1928 – November 9, 1994)Funeral Program for Loyce De Augustino-Todd, 1994 * Charles Lemuel Young Sr. (born August 27, 1931 – April 29, 2009) *E(ugene) F(red) "Sonny" Young III

Career

As a barber, Young realized that his African-American clients needed hair care products designed for them. As the demand for these products grew, he decided to start a company to manufacture them on a larger scale. In 1931, he established the E. F. Young Jr. Manufacturing Company. In 1933, his company received its trademark. By 1945, it had grown to one of the most successful black-owned businesses in the South. EF Young Hotel Meridian, MS

Young also bought and operated a hotel in Meridian, naming it the E. F. Young Hotel, and operated a barbershop in the hotel. At a time when African Americans were legally excluded from white facilities by Jim Crow laws of segregation, it provided good quarters for black travelers. In 2007, the Young Hotel was listed as a contributing property to the Meridian Downtown Historic District. After a long terminal illness, Young died on May 4, 1950, just nine days after his father. His widow assumed control of the business. Their eldest son, Charles L. Young Sr., took over the operation as president in 1969. He served as president of the company until he died in 2009. The company distributes its line of products throughout the United States. Charles Young, Sr. expanded its products to markets in

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and the

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. Charles Young, Sr. also entered politics, serving as a representative from Meridian in the state legislature from 1981 to his death.

Legacy

*The E. F. Young Hotel was listed as a contributing property of the Meridian Historic District on the

. *The E. F. Young Company continues to operate and has expanded its international distribution of its products.

Notes

The 1900 U.S. Census records Young's birth month as July 1898. His World War I draft card recorded his birthday as July 13, 1900. The July 13, 1898, date is likely accurate.

References

External links

E.J. Young Jr. Manufacturing Company
{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, E. F. Jr. 1898 births 1950 deaths People from Lauderdale County, Mississippi Cosmetics people 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American inventors