Senator John Alex Young View All Years

JOHN ALEX YOUNG

MR. PRESIDENT—Your committee appointed to prepare suitable resolutions commemorating the life and service of John Alex Young of Washington county, Iowa, a member of this Senate during the Twenty-ninth, Thirtieth and Thirty-first General Assemblies, beg leave to report as follows:

John Alex Young, a son of James N. Young and Sallie (Eyestone) Young, was born in Rush County, Indiana, July 13, 1838, and came to Washington county in 1843 when he was five years old, and was a resident of Washington county, lawn, continuously thereafter until the date of his death, April 20, 1921. He was therefore one of the pioneers of Washington County and of Iowa. He attended the district school and attended school at the Iowa Wesleyan College in Mt. Pleasant, and began teaching in the public schools when he was nineteen years old.

On October 4, 1860, he was married to Elizabeth A. Runyon at Washington, Iowa, and made his home on the farm until 1871. When his country needed men for the Civil War, John Alex Young early answered the call and on August 19, 1862 enlisted in Company A of the 25th Iowa Infantry, and upon the organization of the company, Senator Young was made 2d Lieutenant; was later promoted to 1st Lieutenant and then was made Captain of his company. In January, 1863 at the battle of Arkansas Post, and again at Ringgold, Georgia, the same year, Senator Young received wounds while in the service. His regiment during the war participated in many important engagements among which was the Siege of Vicksburg and Sherman’s march to the sea, and also participated in the grand review which took place at Washington, D. C., after the war.

After his return from his service in the army, Senator Young became active in the affairs of his county and became one of the leaders in political activity, affiliating with the republican party at all times. As a result of his wounds in the army, he was physically not strong enough to conduct his farming operations, and in 1871 was elected County Auditor of Washington county, in which capacity he served the county efficiently for four years.

After completing this service the great work of his life began when he was made assistant cashier of The Washington National Bank of Washington, Iowa, in 1874, and later in 1878 became the cashier and guiding spirit of the institution, and through his efforts, skill and ability he was able to build up this institution so that at the end of thirty-two years’ service in the bank he had made it the leading banking institution of Washington county.

In his dealings with the patrons of his bank and with the public he was always kind and considerate, yet firm and determined, and while he could realize and sympathize with the interests of his customers, yet he could firmly and actively correct and chastise recalcitrants. He resigned his position as cashier in 1910.

Senator Young was elected to the State Senate from the Washington­Henry county district to the Twenty-ninth General Assembly where he served for three sessions, and his service in the General Assembly was always marked with fairness, courtesy and ability. At one time Senator Young was a candidate for Congress and had a fair chance of being nominated at the republican convention, but because of the condition of his health and the pressure of business affairs in which he was interested, he withdrew from the convention before the nomination was made.

Senator Young was a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Washington, Iowa, for many years. He left surviving him his widow and two children, Harvey S. Young, who now serves as cashier of the bank which his father had built, and Mrs. A. W. Hall of Colfax, Iowa, who is the mother of Captain Norman Hall of aviation fame during the World War.

Senator Young was at all times an ardent supporter of republican principles and a loyal patriot during the World War. When his grandson, Norman Hall, was making his record, Senator Young made the statement that he had been called Auditor Young, Cashier Young, Captain Young, and now he was called Norman Hall’s grandfather, and that he was prouder of that name than any of the others.

After retiring from active work in the bank, Senator Young spent most of his winters either in California or in Colfax where his daughter lived. He was an active member of I. G. White Post of the G. A. R., and after being away from the bank for several years, he was elected and served as president of that institution until the time of his death.

Therefore, Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Iowa that in the death of Honorable John Alex Young the State of Iowa and the county in which he resided, have lost a useful, earnest, honest, progressive and upright citizen, a valiant soldier and a man whose life activities were fearless in the cause of right and justice.

Be It Further Resolved, that this Senate extend to his family its sincere sympathy in their great bereavement; and

Be It Further Resolved, that these resolutions be printed in the Senate Journal, and that the Secretary of the Senate be directed to forward an engrossed copy to the family of the deceased.

J. L. BROOKHART,

BYRON W. NEWBERRY,

J. A. NELSON.

The resolutions were adopted unanimously.