Edward Lunn Young | |
|---|---|
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| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromSouth Carolina's6th district | |
| In office January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1975 | |
| Preceded by | John L. McMillan |
| Succeeded by | John Jenrette |
| Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives fromFlorence County | |
| In office 1958–1960 Serving with Barnard Daly Dusenbury, George Sam Harrell, Eugene LeRoy Nettles, Cyril Ray Parrott[1] | |
| Preceded by | Philip Benjamin Finklea[2] |
| Succeeded by | Peter DeWitt Hyman W. Odell Venters Eugene Noel Zeigler[3] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1920-09-07)September 7, 1920 Florence, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | May 9, 2017(2017-05-09) (aged 96) Florence, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic (until the early 1960s) Republican (early 1960s onward) |
| Alma mater | Clemson College |
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross Air Medal with nine Oak Leaf Clusters |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Army Air Corps United States Army Reserves |
| Years of service | 1941–1946 |
| Rank |  Major |
Edward Lunn Young (September 7, 1920 – May 9, 2017) was an American politician. He served in theSouth Carolina House of Representatives representingFlorence County from 1958 to 1960 as a member of theDemocratic Party. Later changing to theRepublican Party, he served in theUnited States House of Representatives forSouth Carolina's 6th congressional district from 1973 to 1975.
Young was born inFlorence, South Carolina. He graduated from Clemson College (nowClemson University) in 1941. Not long after graduating, he joined theUnited States Army Air Forces and served as a fighter pilot in the Pacific during the last part ofWorld War II. He was awarded theDistinguished Flying Cross and theAir Medal with nineoak leaf clusters.
After World War II, he stayed in the reserves for one year and was discharged as amajor. He then returned to Florence and worked as a farmer, real estate broker and businessman.
Young was elected to theSouth Carolina House of Representatives as aDemocrat fromFlorence County in 1958 and served one term. He became a Republican sometime in the early 1960s and was active in state Republican politics, attending the state Republican conventions of 1968 and 1970. He was also a delegate to the1968 Republican National Convention.
In 1972, Young won the Republican primary nomination forSouth Carolina's 6th congressional district, in the state's northeast corner. He expected to face 17-term Democratic incumbentJohn L. McMillan, the longest-serving congressman in South Carolina history, in the general election. However, in a considerable upset, McMillan was defeated in the Democratic primary by a considerably more liberal candidate, State RepresentativeJohn Jenrette. Due to the gigantic Republican landslide of that year, Young won the general election by over nine points, becoming the first Republican in history to represent this part of South Carolina.
Young's tenure in Congress was short-lived, however. The Republican Party did not have strong roots in this part of the state at the time, so Young was particularly vulnerable in the 1974 elections, which saw a nationwide backlash against Republicans due toWatergate. Jenrette sought a rematch against Young, and this time won by four points. Another rematch in 1976 resulted in Young being soundly defeated.
Young was the Republican candidate forGovernor in1978, but was soundly defeated by DemocraticState SenatorRichard Riley.When Jenrette was ensnared byAbscam in 1980, Young jumped into the Republican primary, only to be soundly defeated byJohn Light Napier, who went on to defeat Jenrette in November.
After his 1980 defeat, Young retired from politics. He died in his sleep on May 9, 2017.[4]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromSouth Carolina's 6th congressional district 1973–1975 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of South Carolina 1978 | Succeeded by W. D. Workman Jr. |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
