John Russell Young (journalist)

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John Russell Young

John Russell Young (born November 20, 1840 in County Tyrone , Ireland , †  January 17, 1899 in Washington, DC ) was an American journalist, writer and diplomat . From 1897 to 1899 he served as director of the Library of Congress .

Life

John Russell Young was born in Ireland. When he was a child, his family immigrated to Philadelphia . At the age of 15, he began his career in the newspaper business as a proofreader . As a reporter for the Philadelphia Press , he excelled in covering the First Battle of the Bull Run . From 1862 he was editor-in-chief of the Philadelphia Press and other newspapers. In 1865 he went to New York City and worked for Horace Greeley of the New York Tribune , of which he soon became editor-in-chief.

Young began working for the government, serving in Europe on behalf of the US State Department and the Treasury Department . In 1872 he moved to the New York Herald and worked there as a European correspondent.

Former US President Ulysses S. Grant invited Young on his world tour from 1877 to 1879. The experiences of this trip flowed into the book "Around the World with General Grant". In China, he made friends with Li Hongzhang , a Chinese statesman and general. On the recommendation of Grant, President Chester A. Arthur named him envoy to China in 1882 to succeed James Burrill Angell . In this position, Young played an important role as mediator in the talks between the USA and China and France and China.

In 1885 Young resumed his work with the Herald in Europe. In 1890 he returned to Philadelphia. In 1897 President William McKinley appointed him head of the Library of Congress. During his tenure, the library was relocated from the Capitol building to purpose-built buildings - a project that his predecessor, Ainsworth Rand Spofford , had begun. Young held this post until his death.

John Young's younger brother, James R. Young, was a member of Congress for the State of Pennsylvania .

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personal data
SURNAME Young, John Russell
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American journalist, writer, and diplomat
DATE OF BIRTH November 20, 1840
PLACE OF BIRTH County Tyrone , Ireland
DATE OF DEATH January 17, 1899
Place of death Washington, DC