Sir Robert Young (26 January 1872 – 13 July 1957) was a trades unionist and Labour Party politician in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. Young was born 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 attended Mossbank Industrial School in the city before taking up a career in engineering. He subsequently became one of the first students enrolled at

Ruskin College, Oxford Ruskin College, originally known as Ruskin Hall, Oxford, is an independent educational institution in Oxford, England. It is not a college of Oxford University. It is named after the essayist, art and social critic John Ruskin (1819–1900) an ...

. Following his graduation he delivered some of Ruskin's extramural lectures to union branches and co-operative societies. In 1910 he married Bessie Laurina Choldcroft, and they had three children.''Obituary: Sir Robert Young, Trade Unionist Of The Old School'', The Times, 15 July 1957, p.14 In 1906 he became a member of the permanent staff of the

Amalgamated Society of Engineers The Amalgamated Society of Engineers (ASE) was a major British trade union, representing factory workers and mechanics. History The history of the union can be traced back to the formation of the Journeymen Steam Engine, Machine Makers' and M ...

, becoming the union's assistant secretary in 1913 and its general secretary in 1919. He was awarded the OBE in 1917. At the 1918 general election, he was elected as

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

(MP) for Newton in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...

, which eventually led to his resignation from his union post. He was appointed

Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons The speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, the lower house and primary chamber of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The current speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, was elected Speaker on 4 November 201 ...

in the first Labour government of 1924. He was reappointed to the position by the second Labour government of 1929 - 1931. He lost his seat at the 1931 general election to the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

Reginald Essenhigh Reginald Clare Essenhigh (7 September 1890 – 1 November 1955) was a Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) from 1931 to 1935 and a judge from 1936 to 1955. He was born in War ...

, but regained it at the 1935 general election. For the next fifteen years he was to be a member of a number of parliamentary committees, and chaired the Select Committee on House of Commons Procedure and the Standing Committee for the Consideration of Bills. Young was knighted in 1931, and retired from the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

at the 1950 general election. Among his interests outside parliament, he was chairman of the Workers Temperance League and independent chairman of the Ophthalmic Benefit Approved Societies.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Robert 1872 births 1957 deaths Amalgamated Engineering Union-sponsored MPs Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1918–1922 UK MPs 1922–1923 UK MPs 1923–1924 UK MPs 1924–1929 UK MPs 1929–1931 UK MPs 1935–1945 UK MPs 1945–1950 Alumni of Ruskin College General Secretaries of the Amalgamated Engineering Union