James Hunter Young (October 26, 1858 – April 11, 1921) was an American soldier and politician from

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. He was a colonel in the Third North Carolina Regiment during the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

and served in the

North Carolina House of Representatives The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the North Ca ...

. He was a Republican.

Early life

James Young was born on October 26, 1858, near Henderson, North Carolina, United States to an enslaved woman owned by Captain D. E. Young and a prominent white man in Vance County. His father oversaw his education, and Young attended school in Henderson before studying at

Shaw University Shaw University is a private Baptist historically black university in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. Founded on December 1, 1865, Shaw University is the oldest HBCU to begin offering courses in ...

from 1874 to 1877. James H

Career

He was hired to work in the office of Colonel J. J. Young, an internal revenue collector, in 1877. He was involved with the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

and in 1883 was elected to the

Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...

board of aldermen, but the board, controlled by Democrats, had Young and three other black Republicans removed from office because they held federal government jobs. President Benjamin Harrison nominated Young twice for the position of Collector of the Port of Wilmington but the U.S. Senate failed to confirm him. As owner and editor of the '' Raleigh Gazette'' (then "the most popular black newspaper in the Piedmont region of North Carolina") from 1893 to 1898, Young helped organize the

electoral fusion Electoral fusion is an arrangement where two or more political parties on a ballot list the same candidate, pooling the votes for that candidate. It is distinct from the process of electoral alliances in that the political parties remain separat ...

of the state's Republicans and Populists. He was elected to the

from Wake County on a

Fusion ticket Electoral fusion is an arrangement where two or more political parties on a ballot list the same candidate, pooling the votes for that candidate. It is distinct from the process of electoral alliances in that the political parties remain separa ...

in 1894 and 1896. Historian

Helen G. Edmonds Helen Grey Edmonds (December 3, 1911 – May 9, 1995) was an American historian, scholar, and civic leader. She was the first African-American woman to earn a doctorate from Ohio State University, to become a graduate school dean and the first to ...

called Young "the outstanding Negro in the state legislature during the Fusion period." He was vilified by the Democrats, who nevertheless acknowledged his intellect and political astuteness, which they attributed "to his white blood." Young was an ally of Gov.

Daniel L. Russell Daniel Lindsay Russell Jr. (August 7, 1845May 14, 1908) was the 49th Governor of North Carolina, serving from 1897 to 1901. An attorney, judge, and politician, he had also been elected as state representative and to the United States Congress, ...

, who appointed him

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

of a black volunteer regiment organized for the

. The unit did not see action, but Young was believed to have been the first African American to hold the rank of colonel in the United States (

Charles Young Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was " ...

was the first black colonel in the regular

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

). Newspapers such as

Josephus Daniels Josephus Daniels (May 18, 1862 – January 15, 1948) was an American newspaper editor and publisher from the 1880s until his death, who controlled Raleigh's ''News & Observer'', at the time North Carolina's largest newspaper, for decades. A D ...

's ''News and Observer'' mocked both Young and Russell in print and in cartoons. The members of Young's regiment clashed with local whites, when allowed to visit towns on weekend furloughs. Young later received a federal appointment from Pres.

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...

as deputy revenue collector for Raleigh, which he held from 1899 through 1913. He was also active in the

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

church. He was a classmate and friend of Dr. Manassa T. Pope. Young died in Raleigh on April 11, 1921.

References

Additional sources

North Carolina Historical Marker

* [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9903E0DC153AE533A2575BC0A96F9C94609ED7CF ''New York Times'': "NORTH CAROLINA REPUBLICANS.; TWO FACTIONS AGAIN AT STRIFE IN WILMINGTON" (September 8, 1891)]
A History of the Negro Baptists of North Carolina

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Young, James H. 1858 births 1921 deaths African-American state legislators in North Carolina Republican Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives Shaw University alumni