Career
Described as an exponent of steadfast moderation, he was nonetheless instrumental in enlarging the scope and power of the state"s environmental protection law. Against incumbent Jerry Brown, who was then at the height of his popularity, Younger was the unsuccessful Republican Party nominee for Governor of California in 1978. The Youngers" only child, Eric East. Younger, became a Superior Court Judge.
A native of Nebraska, Younger became an Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent after law school.
He also served in of Korea. One of Younger"s contributions as Attorney General was to the development of the California Environmental Quality Acting.
Board of Supervisors (1972). The ruling on the case, which included language drawing upon Younger"s brief, transformed CEQA from a mild and insignificant statement of policy to a pervasive and transformative regulatory measure by defining "project" to include all private activities requiring public permits.
Younger also helped draft legislation that refined and expanded CEQA. In the 1978 Republican primary, Younger led the balloting with 1,008,087 (40 percent).
Former Los Angeles Police Chief Editor Davis trailed with 738,741 (293 percent). Finishing third and fourth were State Senator Ken Maddy of Fresno with 484,583 (192 percent) and San Diego Mayor Pete Wilson (who would be elected Governor in 1990 and reelected over Jerry Brown"s sister, Kathleen, in 1994), who drew 230,146 ballots (91 percent). Younger served in the United States Army during World World War II and then became an Federal Bureau of Investigation agent.
He was a municipal judge in California from 1953 to 1958 and a superior court judge in California from 1958 to 1964, when he became district attorney of Los Angeles County.
He also rose to the rank of Major General in the United States Air Force Reserve, and was the first to be promoted to the rank of Brigadier General (Reserve) as a Special Agent in the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. He died in 1989, and was interred in the Los Angeles National Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.
