Whitney Moore Young Jr. (1921 - 1971)

Born 31 Jul 1921 in Lincoln Ridge, Shelby, Kentucky, United States

Ancestors

Died 11 Mar 1971 at age 49 in Lagos, Nigeria

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Biography

Whitney Young Jr. is Notable.

Whitney Young Jr. was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

First Sergeant Whitney Young Jr. served in the United States Army in World War II
Service started: 1942
Unit(s): Signal Corps
Service ended:

Whitney Moore Young was an American civil rights leader.^[1]

Whitney Moore Young Jr. was born in 31 Jul 1921 in Lincoln Ridge, Kentucky.^[2] His father, Whitney Moore Young Sr. (1897-1975), was President of the Lincoln Institute, an all Black boarding school in Shelby County, Kentucky, from 1912-1966. His mother was Laura Ray.

After graduating from the Lincoln Institute as valedictorian, Whitney went on to Kentucky State University where he was a forward on the basketball team, vice- president of Beta Mu chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha and Senior class President. After earning a masters degree from the University of Minnesota, he became President of the Omaha Urban League.

Later, he moved to Atlanta and as Dean of Social Work at Atlanta University, and participated in many desegregation efforts in ATL. In 1961, he became National Executive Director of the Urban League and moved the formerly moderate organization to the forefront of the civil rights movement.

He married Margaret Buckner in 1944 and they had two children, Marcie and Laurene.

Whitney was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968. He was President of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) from 1969 to 1971.

Whitney accidentally drowned on 11 Mar 1971 in Lagos, Nigeria (age 49) while attending a conference. ^{[3] [4]} His body was flown back to the US by President Richard Nixon and he was originally interred in Cove Haven Cemetery in Lexington, Kentucky, but his wife had his body transferred to Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum, Hartsdale, Westchester County, New York due to the poor condition of the Cove Haven and concerns about vandalism. ^[5]

In 1981, the US Postal Service issued a 15-cent commemorative stamp in his honor. ^[6]

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia: Whitney M. Young Jr.
2. ↑ Kentucky, Vital Record Indexes, 1911-1999; Birth record for Whitney M Young, 1921, Shelby County, Kentucky, KDLA, Frankfort.
3. ↑ Obituary: "United States, GenealogyBank Historical Newspaper Obituaries, 1815-2011"
   FamilySearch (accessed 10 January 2022)
   FamilySearch Image Image number 00232
   Name: President Whitney M Sutton Young Jr; Obituary Date: 15 Mar 1971; Birth Date: about 1922; Death Date: 14 Mar 1971; Occupation: President; Residence Date: 14 Mar 1971; Age: 49; Source Newspaper: Oregonian (Portland, Oregon.
4. ↑ Social Security Death Index; Whitney Young, Mar 1971
5. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (accessed 21 August 2022), memorial page for Whitney M. Young Jr. (31 Jul 1921–11 Mar 1971), Find A Grave: Memorial #1136, citing Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum, Hartsdale, Westchester County, New York, USA; Maintained by Find a Grave.
6. ↑ Whitney Moore, 15-cent stamp, Smithsonian National Postal Museum.

• 1930 Census: "1930 United States Federal Census"
  Year: 1930; Census Place: Simpsonville, Shelby, Kentucky; Page: 13B; Enumeration District: 0011; FHL microfilm: 2340513
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 6224 #80480239
  Whitney Young (8), single son, in household of Whitney Young (45) in Lincoln Institute, Simpsonville, Shelby, Kentucky, USA. Born in Kentucky.
• 1940 Census: "1940 United States Federal Census"
  Year: 1940; Census Place: Simpsonville, Shelby, Kentucky; Roll: m-t0627-01356; Page: 19B; Enumeration District: 106-13
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 2442 #48078175
  Whitney Young Jr (18), single son, in household of Whitney Young (42) in Simpsonville, Shelby, Kentucky. Born in Kentucky.

• United States World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946, Whitney M Jr Young, enlisted 22 Jul 1942, Louisville, Kentucky; National Archives and Records Administration, 2002

See also:

• Wikidata: Item Q3025297, en:Wikipedia
• Historical Marker for Whitney M. Young in Shelby County, Kentucky
• Kleber, John E. 2003. The new history of Shelby County, Kentucky. Prospect, Ky: Harmony House Publishers. page 629-630.
• “Whitney M. Young, Jr. (U.S. National Park Service).” Department of the Interior. NPS.gov, 2018.