Sir William Alexander George Young, (c. 1827 – 25 April 1885), was a British colonial administrator who acted in an interim capacity as
Governor of Jamaica
This is a list of viceroys in Jamaica from its initial occupation by Spain in 1509, to its independence from the United Kingdom in 1962. For a list of viceroys after independence, see Governor-General of Jamaica. For context, see History of Jamai ...
in 1874, and later served as
Governor of Gold Coast from 1884 to his death in 1885. His father (also named William Young) may have been an RN paymaster as well: a paymaster of that name was on board when she ran aground on the
River Plate in May 1844 and was refloated in November that year.
Naval career
W. A. G. Young enlisted in the Royal Navy in 1841 aged about 14 as a midshipman clerk, rising to
purser, paymaster, and secretary to two commodores over the next ten years. Young's seniority as Paymaster dates from Dec. 28 1853.
, sister ship to
In February 1855, Young was paymaster on the brand-new screw corvette in Portsmouth, although the Harrier article says she was in the Baltic from 1854 to 1856.
left,
The August 1855 edition (starting about halfway down the PDF Feb. 1855 edition), states that Harrier was in the Baltic, and Young was not on it because he had joined the flagship, as secretary to the Captain of the Fleet, Commodore Hon Fred. T. Pelham. Navy List, August 1855, p. 231 This would be return of the fleet under Admiral Dundas after Napier had been censured for not destroying
Sveaborg in the Baltic Campaign of the
Crimean War
The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia.
Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...
.
The Baltic Medalwas awarded for this campaign, which the m beside his name in Navy Lists after 1856 indicates he may have received. And William Young did indeed get a medal, p 337 of Dec 1857 Navy List.
Navy List June 1856 on p. 323 he is serving on ship 69. On p. 141 this is HMS Blenheim, Screw steam Guard Ship at Portsmouth, with Captain Fred T. Pelham in command, so he was effectively Captain's secretary with rank as "additional paymaster" Pelham also commanded the Blenheim in the Baltic 14 August 1853 - 18 November 1854, and at Portsmouth 5 June 1856 - 21 November 1857.
In July 1860 William A. Young was appointed ''Additional Paymaster'', ''For Special Service'' on board the paddle sloop .
''Hecate'' was commanded by Captain
James Charles Prevost
James Charles Prevost (1810–1891) was an admiral in the British Empire, British Royal Navy.
He was born in Bedhampton, Hampshire, England, the son of Rear-Admiral James Prevost and his first wife France née Haultain, and joined the navy in 1 ...
,
RN; Young, as Additional
Paymaster
A paymaster is someone appointed by a group of buyers, sellers, investors or lenders to receive, hold, and dispense funds, commissions, fees, salaries (remuneration) or other trade, loan, or sales proceeds within the private sector or public secto ...
was probably doubling as Captain's secretary, a job held by the ship's
Purser
A purser is the person on a ship principally responsible for the handling of money on board. On modern merchant ships, the purser is the officer responsible for all administration (including the ship's cargo and passenger manifests) and supply. ...
in the past.
Capt. James Prevost was one of the three British Commissioners (two maritime, one land-based) of the joint Anglo-American Northwest Boundary Commission. The commission was established in 1856 according to the terms of the Northwest Boundary Treaty (signed in 1846) between the U. S. and Britain, to survey and define the border between British and U.S. territories in the American north-west Pacific region. The U.S. Commission was under the leadership of Joseph Harris. The ''Hecate'' sailed from Portsmouth in September for
New Caledonia
)
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, map_alt = Location of New Caledonia
, map_caption = Location of New Caledonia
, mapsize = 290px
, subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...
, arriving in Victoria,
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 ...
in June 1857.
New Caledonia was not much more than a loosely defined trading area with a population of about one hundred, administered by the
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business div ...
, whose regional chief executive was James Douglas, also
Governor of Vancouver Island
The following is a list of governors of the Colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia.
See also
* List of lieutenant governors of British Columbia
*Colony of the Queen Charlotte Islands
The Colony of the Queen Charlotte Islands was ...
. The massive influx of some twenty to thirty thousand people, mostly American, during the
Fraser Canyon Gold Rush
The Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, (also Fraser Gold Rush and Fraser River Gold Rush) began in 1858 after gold was discovered on the Thompson River in British Columbia at its confluence with the Nicoamen River a few miles upstream from the Thompson's c ...
led to James stationing a gunboat (,
HMS Satellite
World Naval Ships Forums. Retrieved 24 September 2015. commanded by Captain James Prevost) at the mouth of the Fraser River
The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Blackrock Mountain in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia just south of the City of Vancouver. The river's annual d ...
, although he had no legal authority outside Vancouver Island. Legislation was passed in the UK designating British Columbia a crown colony on August 2, 1858. Young began assisting Douglas with administrative business (that was his job in the navy after all), and he was temporarily appointed Colonial Secretary of the Colony of British Columbia The Colony of British Columbia refers to one of two colonies of British North America, located on the Pacific coast of modern-day Canada:
*Colony of British Columbia (1858–1866)
*Colony of British Columbia (1866–1871)
See also
*History of Br ...
on 3 March 1859.
William Young seems to have fairly busy ashore: Young appears to have still been drawing pay from the navy while only loosely assigned to ''Hecate''. In March 1862 Young was still in ''Hecate'', but by December that year he was listed in that year's Navy List as 'unemployed'.[Navy List (1861-2, four issues bound together)]
Navy List for December 1861,
*March 1862 (starts on pdf p. 389), Hecate on
*June 1862 (starts on pdf p. 785), Hecate on p. 177 (pdf. 971)
*September 1862 (starts on pdf p. 1181) Hecate on p. 179 (pdf. 1371)
*December 1862 p.59, Secretary to Commodores, Paymaster, unemployed.
''Hecate'' was fitted out for survey operations and assigned to the Pacific Station
The Pacific Station was created in 1837 as one of the geographical military formations into which the Royal Navy divided its worldwide responsibilities. The South America Station was split into the Pacific Station and the South East Coast of A ...
in 1860, where she surveyed the British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
coast. Hecate Strait
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, image_size = 260px
, alt =
, caption = Hecate Strait and Pitt Island
, image_bathymetry = Loc-QCS-Hecate-Dixon.png
, alt_bathymetry =
, caption ...
is named for her. She went to the Australia Station
The Australia Station was the British, and later Australian, naval command responsible for the waters around the Australian continent.Dennis et al. 2008, p.53. Australia Station was under the command of the Commander-in-Chief, Australia Station, ...
in 1863. In 1865 the navy relocated the headquarters of its Pacific Station
The Pacific Station was created in 1837 as one of the geographical military formations into which the Royal Navy divided its worldwide responsibilities. The South America Station was split into the Pacific Station and the South East Coast of A ...
fleet from Valparaíso
Valparaíso (; ) is a major city, seaport, naval base, and educational centre in the commune of Valparaíso, Chile. "Greater Valparaíso" is the second largest metropolitan area in the country. Valparaíso is located about northwest of Santiago ...
, Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
, to the Esquimalt Royal Navy Dockyard
Esquimalt Royal Naval Dockyard was a major British Royal Navy yard on Canada's Pacific coast from 1842 to 1905, subsequently operated by the Canadian government as HMC Dockyard Esquimalt, now part of CFB Esquimalt, to the present day.
The Royal ...
in Esquimalt Harbour
Esquimalt Harbour is a natural harbour in Greater Victoria on the southern tip of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. The entrance to Esquimalt Harbour is from the south off the Strait of Juan de Fuca through a narrow channel known as ...
, 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 ...
.
Political career
Although Young was appointed to the dual roles as colonial secretary of British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
(B.C.) and acting Colonial Secretary of Vancouver Island, his colonial administrative career was not particularly successful; the position of permanent Secretary of Vancouver Island was never confirmed. Vancouver Is. and B.C. were separated as colonies in 1863 and then re-united in 1866;his father-in-law James Douglas had retired as governor in 1864 and returned to Scotland; they kept close ties. Young seems to have been unjustly elbowed out of his temporary Administrator's appointment by 1869, for which loss which he was never compensated. He was appointed financial secretary of Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
and returned to England after an attack of Yellow fever
Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...
in 1872. Five years later in 1884 he was named a CMG and appointed governor of the Gold Coast
Gold Coast may refer to:
Places Africa
* Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana:
** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642)
** Dutch G ...
in Africa. He died there on 25 April 1885.
Family
William Young married the new Governor's step-daughter, Cecilia Eliza Cameron Cowan, on 20 March 1858. Two of their sons had distinguished careers of their own. Alfred Karney Young (1864—1942) held judicial and political offices in numerous colonies, serving, inter alia, as Chief Justice of Fiji
The chief justice is Fiji's highest judicial officer. The office and its responsibilities are set out in Chapter 5 of the 2013 Constitution of Fiji. The Chief Justice is appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister
Prime Mi ...
. William Douglas Young (1859—1943) became Governor of the Falkland Islands
The governor of the Falkland Islands is the representative of the British Crown in the Falkland Islands, acting "in His Majesty's name and on His Majesty's behalf" as the islands' ''de facto'' head of state in the absence of the British monarch ...
. Their daughter, Mary Alice, married Frederick Mitchell Hodgson, who later became Governor of Gold Coast, like her father.
References
Sources
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, W. A. G.
1827 births
1885 deaths
Chief secretaries (British Empire)
Colony of British Columbia (1858–1866) people
Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George
Governors of Jamaica
Governors of the Gold Coast (British colony)
Royal Navy logistics officers
Royal Navy officers