Sir James Alexander Young (23 March 1875 – 17 April 1956), known as Alexander Young, was a New Zealand politician of the Reform Party.

Biography

Young was born in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

in 1875 to Irish immigrant parents from

County Sligo County Sligo ( , gle, Contae Shligigh) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the Border Region and is part of the province of Connacht. Sligo is the administrative capital and largest town in the county. Sligo County Council is the local ...

. He was by profession a dentist. He was elected to the Hamilton Borough Council at the young age of 22. He was Mayor of Hamilton from 1909 to 1912. He then represented the

Waikato Waikato () is a Regions of New Zealand, local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton City ...

electorate from

1911 A notable ongoing event was the Comparison of the Amundsen and Scott Expeditions, race for the South Pole. Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory ...

to 1922, and then the

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

electorate from

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...

to 1935, when he was defeated. He was

Minister of Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental health. Coun ...

(18 January 1926 – 10 December 1928) and

Minister of Industries and Commerce The Minister of Industries and Commerce in New Zealand is a former cabinet position (existing from 1894 to 1972) appointed by the Prime Minister to be in charge of matters of industrial and commercial growth and trade. In 1972 it was replaced w ...

(28 November 1928 – 10 December 1928) in the Coates Ministry of the

Reform Government of New Zealand The Reform Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand from 1912 to 1928. It is perhaps best remembered for its anti-trade union stance in the Waihi miners' strike of 1912 and a dockworkers' strike the following year. It also govern ...

. He was Minister of Health (22 September 1931 – 6 December 1935), Minister of Immigration (22 September 1931 – 6 December 1935) and

Minister of Internal Affairs Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of governme ...

(28 January 1933 – 6 December 1935) in the United Government. He was Chairman of Committees from 24 July 1923 to 14 October 1925. In 1935, Young was appointed a

Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

and was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal. He was vice-president of the New Zealand Alliance in 1929, and was on the Waikato Licensing Bench for fourteen years. He was on the Board of Governors of Hamilton High School and chairman of the Hospital Board. He died in 1956 and was buried at the Hamilton East Cemetery.

Notes

References

* * , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Young, James Alexander 1875 births 1956 deaths Reform Party (New Zealand) MPs Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand Mayors of Hamilton, New Zealand Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates New Zealand dentists New Zealand people of Irish descent New Zealand Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Unsuccessful candidates in the 1935 New Zealand general election Hamilton City Councillors New Zealand politicians awarded knighthoods New Zealand temperance activists Burials at Hamilton East Cemetery