Background
Young was born in Glasgow, and attended Mossbank Industrial School in the city before taking up a career in engineering.
Young was born in Glasgow, 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. Following his graduation he delivered some of Ruskin"s extramural lectures to union branches and co-operative societies. He was awarded the Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 1917.
He was appointed Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons 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 Reginald Essenhigh, but regained it at the 1935 general election.
Young was knighted in 1931, and retired from the House of Commons 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.
31st United Kingdom Parliament. 32nd United Kingdom Parliament. 33rd United Kingdom Parliament.
34th United Kingdom Parliament.
35th United Kingdom Parliament. 37th United Kingdom Parliament.
38th United Kingdom Parliament]
In 1906 he became a member of the permanent staff of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers, becoming the union"s assistant secretary in 1913 and its general secretary in 1919. At the 1918 general election, he was elected as Member of Parliament (Member of Parliament) for Newton in Lancashire, which eventually led to him resigning from his union post.
Foreign 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.
