Charles Young Jr.
{{Short description|American politician (1962–2024)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2014}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Charles Young Jr.
| honorific-suffix =
| image = Charles Young Jr (3x4 cropped).jpg
| caption = Young in 2016
| alt = Head shot of Young smiling, wearing a dark suit jacket with a Democratic Party lapel pin and yellow necktie.
| state_house = Mississippi
| district = 82nd
| term_start = 2012
| term_end = December 19, 2024
| predecessor = Wilbert L. Jones
| successor =
| prior_term =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1962|7|9}}
| birth_place = Meridian, Mississippi, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2024|12|19|1962|7|9}}
| death_place = Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.
| profession = President, E.F. Young Jr. Manufacturing Company
| party = Democratic
| relations = E. F. Young Jr. (grandfather)
Charles L. Young Sr. (father)
}}
Charles Lemuel Young Jr. (July 9, 1962 – December 19, 2024) was an American politician. He was a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from the 82nd District, being first elected in 2011. His district represents Lauderdale County including the city of Meridian. He was a member of the Democratic party.{{Cite web |url=http://www.sos.ms.gov/Education-Publications/Documents/BlueBook/6-2014-House.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=April 23, 2015 |archive-date=January 31, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131123527/http://www.sos.ms.gov/Education-Publications/Documents/BlueBook/6-2014-House.pdf |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/members/house/young.xml |title=Charles Young, Jr. |author= |website=Mississippi House of Representatives |access-date=6 May 2020 }}{{cite news |author= |date=23 February 2020 |title=Your Government Officials |url=https://www.meridianstar.com/ |url-access=subscription |location=Meridian, Mississippi |publisher=Meridian Star |publication-date=23 February 2020 |page=I6 }}
Background
He was the son of Charles L. Young Sr., who served in the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1980 until his death in 2009. His paternal grandfather is E. F. Young Jr. who founded a cosmetics firm and hotel in Meridian, Mississippi. He attended Tougaloo College and Mississippi State University, Meridian.https://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/members/house/young.xml
His sister Veldore Young-Graham currently serves as the County Court Judge for Lauderdale County, Mississippi.{{cite web |url=http://www.lauderdalecounty.org/county-court/ |title=County Court |author= |website=Lauderdale County, Mississippi |access-date=6 May 2020 }}
Young died at a hospital in Jackson, Mississippi, on December 19, 2024, at the age of 62.[https://www.wtok.com/2024/12/20/rep-charles-young-jr-has-passed-away-age-74/ Rep. Charles Young Jr. has passed away at the age of 62]
Electoral history
=2011=
{{Election box begin no change | title={{center|Mississippi House of Representatives Democratic primary (82nd district){{cite web |url=https://sos.ms.gov/elections/electionResults/Democratic/Lauderdale%20County%20Dem.pdf |title=Official Recapitulation 2011 Primary Election |author= |date=10 August 2011 |website=Secretary of State |publisher=State of Mississippi |access-date=9 May 2020 }}}}}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|party = Democratic Party (US)
|candidate = Wilbert Jones (inc.)
|votes = 888
|percentage = 46.52
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
|party = Democratic Party (US)
|candidate = Charles Young, Jr.
|votes = 1,021
|percentage = 53.48
}}
{{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change | title={{center|Mississippi House of Representatives general election (82nd district){{cite web|url=https://www.sos.ms.gov/links/elections/results/statewide/MS%20House%20of%20Rep%20SINGLE%20COUNTY%20-%20General%20Election%202011%20Results.pdf |title=Total Votes Reported by County for the 2011 General Election |author= |website=Secretary of State |publisher=State of Mississippi | accessdate=9 May 2020}}}}}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
|party = Democratic Party (US)
|candidate = Charles Young, Jr.
|votes = 3,818
|percentage = 100.00
}}
{{Election box end}}
=2015=
{{Election box begin no change | title={{center|Mississippi House of Representatives Democratic primary (82nd district){{cite web |url=https://www.sos.ms.gov/Elections-Voting/Pages/2015-Democratic-Primary.aspx |title=Official Recapitulation Primary Election |author= |date=20 August 2015 |website=Secretary of State |publisher=State of Mississippi |access-date=9 May 2020 }}}}}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
|party = Democratic Party (US)
|candidate = Charles L. Young, Jr. (inc.)
|votes = 1,521
|percentage = 100.00
}}
{{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change | title={{center|Mississippi House of Representatives general election (82nd district){{cite web|url=https://www.sos.ms.gov/Elections-Voting/Pages/2015-General-Election.aspx |title=Total Votes Reported by County for the 2015 General Election |author= |website=Secretary of State |publisher=State of Mississippi | accessdate=9 May 2020}}}}}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
|party = Democratic Party (US)
|candidate = Charles L. Young, Jr. (inc.)
|votes = 3,203
|percentage = 100.00
}}
{{Election box end}}
=2019=
{{Election box begin no change | title={{center|Mississippi House of Representatives Democratic primary (82nd district){{cite web |url=https://www.sos.ms.gov/Elections-Voting/Pages/2019-Democratic-Primary.aspx |title=Democratic Primary Election Results 2019 (Amended) |author= |website=Secretary of State |publisher=State of Mississippi |access-date=9 May 2020 |archive-date=August 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190818053208/https://www.sos.ms.gov/Elections-Voting/Pages/2019-Democratic-Primary.aspx |url-status=dead }}}}}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
|party = Democratic Party (US)
|candidate = Charles L. Young, Jr. (inc.)
|votes = 1,994
|percentage = 100.00
}}
{{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change | title={{center|Mississippi House of Representatives general election (82nd district){{cite web |url=https://www.sos.ms.gov/Elections-Voting/Pages/2019-General-Election.aspx |title=Official Recapitulation: General Election |author= |date=14 November 2019 |website=Secretary of State |publisher=State of Mississippi |accessdate=9 May 2020 |archive-date=December 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191205040657/https://www.sos.ms.gov/Elections-Voting/Pages/2019-General-Election.aspx |url-status=dead }}}}}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
|party = Democratic Party (US)
|candidate = Charles L. Young, Jr. (inc.)
|votes = 3,649
|percentage = 100.00
}}
{{Election box end}}
Political positions
=Religious Liberty Accommodations Act=
Young was a vocal critic of Mississippi House Bill 1523 (H.B. 1523) which was passed by the legislature 69-44 in 2016. The bill allows individuals to discriminate against same-sex couples who have "deeply held religious beliefs or moral convictions" against such unions. Speaking to the Meridian Star after the passage of the bill, Young said:
I, as an individual, might disagree from a personal standpoint with certain protections of human rights. I personally might not like gay rights, I personally might not like women's rights. But as a duly elected official, I have a sworn obligation to protect and to uphold every persons' rights. And as a publicly-elected official, I have to be able to separate my personal from my elected responsibilities in my capacity.{{cite news |last1=Brown |first1=Ida |last2=Graham |first2=Bill |date=3 April 2016 |title=Young: Bill 1523 is discriminatory |url=http://www.meridianstar.com |url-access= subscription|location=Meridian, Mississippi |publisher=Meridian Star |pages=A1, A3 |access-date=8 May 2020 |quote=If we re-enacted the draft and folks said they didn't want to go to war, then Mississippi would consider you unAmerican. But you can walk into a government facility, and people who work in that government facility can deny you service. }}
=Mississippi state flag controversy=
In 2020, Mississippi was the only state in the United States that incorporates the Confederate battle flag. Contrary to many of his colleagues in the Legislature, Young believed that the fate of the flag should be decided by them, and not be left for the voters to decide:
My preference would be that the Legislature not pass the buck and that the Legislature conduct the vote to determine the future of the current flag … We’re the only state in the nation that continues to bear the stars and bars and I think we need to change. My reason for that is financial. The state of Mississippi loses a ton of money each year.{{cite news |last1=Kelly |first1=Erin |date=13 June 2016 |title=Most East Mississippi lawmakers say people should decide on flag |url=http://www.meridianstar.com |url-access= subscription|location=Meridian, Mississippi |publisher=Meridian Star |pages=A4 |access-date=23 June 2020 |quote=We’re the only state in the nation that continues to bear the stars and bars and I think we need to change. }}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Charles Jr.}}
Category:Democratic Party members of the Mississippi House of Representatives
Category:21st-century members of the Mississippi Legislature
Category:People from Meridian, Mississippi
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