--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 20 number: 10 published: 1917-08 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations, "Col. Richard Whitehead Young," *Improvement Era* 20, no. 10 (August 1917): 851–852.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera20010unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera20010unse start_page: 851 end_page: 852 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1917-08) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera20010unse publication_year: 1917 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1917, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Col. Richard Whitehead Young COL. RICHARD WHITEHEAD YOUNG Richard Whitehead Young has been appointed by Governor Simon Bamberger to be colonel of the Utah light artillery. His appointment was announced at a patriotic mass meeting held in the Salt Lake Theater on June 26. The announcement was greeted with vociferous applause, and the great audience rose to its feet in honor of the man who has been appointed to lead the Utah boys a second time in war. In making a response Colonel Young said: "I tremble at the present duty, but I take it; and I pledge myself to do my utmost to uphold the honor of State and Nation, and to strive to the utmost, as God may permit me." Colonel Young referred to his age, and the statements of his friends why that should be a good reason for his not going into the present war as an active participant. They considered he had already played his part: "But the affair got on my nerves," said the colonel, "I am active and in good health, and I felt that I would be a 'slacker' if I did not get in, so I am here tonight to show I am consistent with that which I am asking of you. What I ask is, not that you get in this thing, but, let us get in." Colonel Young, who is among the ablest army officers in the United States, served in the Spanish-American war. He was born in Salt Lake City, April 19, 1858, and is a son of Joseph Angell and Margaret Whitehead Young. He attended the University of Utah, 1874 to 1877, and was graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, in 1882. He studied law at Columbia and won his LL.B. in 1884. He married Minerva Richards, of Salt Lake City, September 5, 1882. That same year he was made second lieutenant in the Fifth United States Artillery; from 1884 to 1886 he was captain and acting judge advocate on the staff of General W. S. Hancock. He resigned from this position in 1889, and was made Brigadier General of the Utah National Guard in 1894. When the Spanish-American war broke out he was commissioned Major commanding the Utah light artillery dur- ing the Philippine insurrection, in which capacity he served through the campaigns of the war, in 1898 and 1899. He was granted the Congressional Medal of Honor for his services and was recommended by the army board for brevet of lieutenant-colonel, colonel, and brigadier-general. Colonel Young was admitted to the bar, in New York, in 1884; and has practiced law in Salt Lake City since 1889. He has held numerous public positions, was a member of the Salt Lake City concil in 1890-91, and of the board of education in 1890-94 and 1898. During 1898 to 1911 he served as trustee of the Brigham Young College of Logan and the Brigham Young University of Provo, for years. In 1912-14 he was honored with the presidency of the In- ternational Irrigation Congress. He is the author of Mobs and the Mili- tary, printed in 1888. His appointment as Colonel of the U. N. G. created great impetus in the enlistments. Colonel Young continuously has been an active member in the Church. He has presided over the Ensign stake for many years; and was a member of the General board of the Y. M. M. I. A. and general scout commissioner for a number of years. He is a man of unimpeachable character, strong in his decisions, upright, conscientious and able. No more trustworthy man could have been selected nor one more acceptable, capable and suitable than Colonel Young to take charge of the splendid boys of the National Guard of Utah, who are programmed to proceed to France with the Amer- ican army. He is not only an able artillery officer, but he is a man in every sense of the word. COLONEL RICHARD WHITEHEAD YOUNG Appointed to take charge of the National Guard of Utah