J. Smith Young facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Smith Young
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana's 5th district |
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| In office November 5, 1878 – March 3, 1879 |
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| Preceded by | John E. Leonard |
| Succeeded by | J. Floyd King |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 4, 1834 Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Died | October 11, 1916 (aged 81) Shreveport, Louisiana |
| Resting place | Oakland Cemetery |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses | Mattie Hamilton Young Frances Rhoda Hodges Young |
| Alma mater | Centenary College |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Confederate States of America |
| Branch/service | Confederate States Army |
| Rank |  Second Lieutenant |
| Unit | 31st Louisiana Infantry |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
John Smith Young (born November 4, 1834 – died October 11, 1916) was an American lawyer. He also served a short time in the U.S. House of Representatives. This is part of the U.S. Congress. He represented Louisiana from 1878 to 1879.
Early Life and Education
John Smith Young was born on November 4, 1834. He was the sixth of thirteen children. His parents were Dr. John Y. Young and Eliza Henry Jones. John was born in Raleigh, North Carolina. He grew up on his family's cotton farms. These farms were in Tennessee and Mississippi. Around 1847, his family moved to southern Arkansas. This happened after his older sister, Cornelia, passed away.
In the early 1850s, John went to Washington Male Seminary in Arkansas. His older brother, Edwin Young, taught there. John studied classic books in their original languages. These included Greek, Latin, French, and English. After that, Young attended Centenary College in Jackson, Louisiana. He graduated from there in 1855.
He then studied law. He passed the state bar exam and became a lawyer. He started his law career in Homer, Louisiana. Records from 1860 show John S. Young working as a lawyer in Homer.
Serving in the Civil War
On August 21, 1861, Young joined the 31st Louisiana Infantry. He served in the Confederate Army. This was during the American Civil War. He rose to the rank of lieutenant.
A Career in Law and Politics
After the war ended, Young went back to being a lawyer. He married Mattie Hamilton. They had all their children together. He was chosen or appointed to several public jobs. In 1870, he became a judge for Claiborne Parish. In 1872, he became a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives. Then, in 1876, he became a state judge.
In 1878, Young was elected to Congress as a Democrat. He took the place of John E. Leonard, who had passed away. Young served for the last four months of that term. He decided not to run for reelection. He returned to Louisiana and practiced law. He worked in Monroe, Louisiana, and later in Shreveport, Louisiana.
John's first wife, Martha ("Mattie") Hamilton Young, died in 1891. From 1892 to 1900, Young was elected twice. He served as Caddo Parish sheriff. Five years after Mattie passed away, Young married Frances ("Fannie") Rhoda Hodges. She was a widow and Mattie's cousin.
When he was 66 years old, Young finished his second term as sheriff. He went back to practicing law in Shreveport for several more years. He passed away at age 81 in Shreveport, Louisiana. He is buried in Shreveport's Oakland Cemetery.
