John Russell Young

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John Russell Young

John Russell Young (20 November 1840 – 17 January 1899) an American journalist, author, diplomat, and the seventh Librarian of the United States Congress

United States Congress

The United States Congress is the Bicameralism legislature of the Federal government of the United States of the United States of America, consisting of two houses, the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives....
from 1897 to 1899.

Young was born in County Tyrone

County Tyrone

County Tyrone is the second largest of the nine Irish county of Ulster and the largest of the six counties of Northern Ireland. It has an area of 3,155 square kilometres ....
, Ireland

Ireland

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John Russell Young (20 November 1840 – 17 January 1899) an American journalist, author, diplomat, and the seventh Librarian of the United States Congress

United States Congress

County Tyrone

County Tyrone is the second largest of the nine Irish county of Ulster and the largest of the six counties of Northern Ireland. It has an area of 3,155 square kilometres ....
, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is the List of islands by area in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islet....
, but as a young child his family emigrated to Philadelphia. He entered the newspaper business as a proofreader at age 15. As a reporter for the Philadelphia Press
Philadelphia Press

The Philadelphia Press was published from August 1, 1857 to October 1, 1920.It was founded by John W. Forney. Charles Emory Smith was editor and owned a stake in the paper from 1880 to his death in 1908....
, he distinguished himself with his coverage of the Battle of Bull Run

Battle of Bull Run

Two conflicts during the American Civil War were known as Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Manassas:Geographical Location of these conflicts:...
. By 1862 he was managing editor of the Press and another newspaper.

In 1865 he moved to New York

New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
. He began writing for Horace Greeley

Horace Greeley

Horace Greeley was an United States editor of a leading History of American newspapers, a founder of the Liberal Republican Party , a reformer, and a politician....
's New York Tribune
New York Tribune

The New York Tribune was an American newspaper, first established by Horace Greeley in 1841, which was long considered one of the leading newspapers in the United States....
and became managing editor of that paper. He also began working for the government, undertaking missions to Europe

Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
for the US Department of State and the US Department of the Treasury. In 1872, he joined the New York Herald
New York Herald

The New York Herald was a large distribution newspaper based in New York City that existed between May 6, 1835 and 1924....
and reported for them from Europe.

Young was invited to accompany President Ulysses S. Grant

Ulysses S. Grant

Ulysses S. Grant, born Hiram Ulysses Grant , was an United States general and the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States ....
on Grant's famous 1877-1879 world tour, chronicled in Young's book Around the World with General Grant. Young impressed Grant, especially in China

China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
where Young struck up a friendship with Li Hongzhang

Li Hongzhang

Li Hongzhang , Marquis Suyi of the First Class , GCVO, , also spelled Li Hung-chang, was a China general who ended several major rebellions, and a leading statesman of the late Qing Empire....
. Grant persuaded President Chester A. Arthur

Chester A. Arthur

Chester Alan Arthur was an Politics of the United States who served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States....
to appoint Young minister to China in 1882. In this position he distinguished himself by mediating and settling disputes between the US and China and France

France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
and China.

In 1885 he resumed working for the Herald in Europe. In 1890 he returned to Philadelphia. In 1897 President William McKinley

William McKinley

William McKinley, Jr. was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States, and the last veteran of the American Civil War to be elected....
appointed him Librarian of Congress, the first Librarian confirmed by Congress. During his tenure, the Library began moving from its original home in the US Capitol Building to its own structure, an accomplishment largely the responsibility of his predecessor, Ainsworth Rand Spofford

Ainsworth Rand Spofford

Ainsworth Rand Spofford was an American journalist and publisher. He was the sixth Librarian of Congress of the United States Congress from 1864 to 1897....
. Spofford served as Chief Assistant Librarian under Young. Young held the post of Librarian until his death.

His brother was Congressman James Rankin Young.

John Russell Young

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