Milton Young | |
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| President pro tempore of the United States Senate | |
| In office December 5, 1980 – December 6, 1980 | |
| Preceded by | Warren Magnuson |
| Succeeded by | Warren Magnuson |
| Secretary of the Senate Republican Conference | |
| In office January 3, 1946 – January 3, 1971 | |
| Leader | |
| Preceded by | John Chandler Gurney |
| Succeeded by | Norris Cotton |
| United States Senator fromNorth Dakota | |
| In office March 12, 1945 – January 3, 1981 | |
| Preceded by | John Moses |
| Succeeded by | Mark Andrews |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Milton Ruben Young (1897-12-06)December 6, 1897 Berlin, North Dakota, U.S. |
| Died | May 31, 1983(1983-05-31) (aged 85) Sun City, Arizona, U.S. |
| Resting place | Berlin Cemetery Berlin, North Dakota |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses | |
| Education | North Dakota State University Graceland University |
Milton Ruben Young (December 6, 1897 – May 31, 1983) was an American politician, most notable for representing North Dakota in theUnited States Senate from 1945 until 1981. At the time of his retirement, he was the most seniorRepublican in the Senate, and the last member of theLost Generation to serve in the Senate.
Born atBerlin, North Dakota to John and Rachel Young, all four of his grandparents were fromGermany.[1] Young graduated fromLaMoure High School, then attendedNorth Dakota State University inFargo andGraceland College. After college, Young returned home to operate the farm of his parents, John and Rachel Zimmerman Young. In 1919, Young married Malinda Benson and together they had three sons, Wendell, Duane, and John.
Young became increasingly interested in politics during the depression and drought of the late 1920s and 1930s. He was active in community affairs, serving on the school, township, and countyAgricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) boards. He stood for election to theNorth Dakota House of Representatives in 1932; he won, and was then elected to thestate Senate just two years later. Young was also one of the key persons in developing the Republican Organizing Committee inNorth Dakota during the 1940s.
With the death ofJohn Moses in 1945, GovernorFred G. Aandahl appointed Young to fill the vacant U.S. Senate seat, and Young was forced to relinquish management of the family farm, in order to fulfill his duties in Washington. For the 1952 Presidential election, Young initially indicated his support for Ohio SenatorRobert Taft. In March, Young endorsed Democratic SenatorRichard Russell Jr. for the presidency, citing him as "superbly qualified" for the position and stated his willingness to support him in the event that he was nominated by his party. The endorsement caused a sensation and left Republicans from his home state calling for his withdrawal from the party.[2]
Young spent the remainder of his career in the Senate, becoming one of the longest-serving members of the Senate in its history. His major committee assignments were on theAgriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry committee, and theAppropriations committee of which he was the ranking Republican member. He was nicknamed "Mr. Wheat", and was instrumental in getting theAgricultural Act of 1956 and theAgriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973 passed. Despite his Republican affiliation, Young was praised by theFarmers Union for his support of farm policies.[3] While supportive ofDwight D. Eisenhower as president, Young was critical of the farm policies of hisSecretary of Agriculture,Ezra Taft Benson, who was praised by the far-rightJohn Birch Society, an organization of which Young was also critical.
Young was also close friends with Senate Majority Leader and later President of the United States,Lyndon B. Johnson, calling him the President that was most close to "agriculture and rural America".[4][5] Young voted in favor of theCivil Rights Acts of 1957,[6]1960,[7]1964,[8] and1968,[9] as well as theVoting Rights Act of 1965 and the confirmation ofThurgood Marshall to theU.S. Supreme Court,[10][11] but did not vote on the24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.[12] Despite voting againstMedicare andMedicaid in 1965, Young co-sponsored health care bills that advocated for benefits and services similar to the Medicare program for people under 65 (as well as their spouses and children) through the Social Security Act, as well as a federally run health care program that would have replaced Medicaid.[13][14][15][16] Young also voted in favor of theComprehensive Child Development Act of 1971, which was vetoed by President Nixon, and theEqual Rights Amendment in 1972.[17][18] When asked about a potential candidacy for his Senate seat from journalistEric Sevareid in 1968, Young replied: "What does Sevareid know about wheat?" In 1974, during his last election for the U.S. Senate, Young's age was being used against him during the General election; Young aired campaign commercials showing himself breaking a piece of board with a karate chop and won re-election.[19]
Young once said of his career in the Senate and loyalty to the people of his state: "I have always tried to stay close to the people. In North Dakota to be elected and to stay on, you have to know the farmers and stay close to them. They are loyal to a fault." As a result of the1980 elections, Republicans won control of the Senate. As the longest-serving Republican Senator, Young would have been in line to becomePresident pro tempore. However, he had chosen to retire instead of running for a seventh term. In deference to his long service in the body, he was elected President pro tempore by thelame duck Democratic-controlled Senate on December 5 and served for one day.
Young's first wife died shortly before their golden anniversary in 1969. Young's second wife was Patricia Byrne, his secretary in the Senate, ofBowman, North Dakota. Young died at his retirement home inSun City, Arizona on May 31, 1983, and was buried at Berlin, North Dakota. TheMilton R. Young Power Plant inOliver County was named in his honor. The tallest building inMinot is apublic housing facility which bears his name.
| U.S. Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | U.S. Senator (Class 3) from North Dakota 1945–1981 Served alongside:William Langer,Clarence Norman Brunsdale,Quentin Burdick | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theSenate Appropriations Committee 1967–1981 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forU.S. Senator fromNorth Dakota (Class 3) 1946,1950,1956,1962,1968,1974 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Secretary of the Senate Republican Conference 1946–1971 | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Most SeniorRepublican in theUnited States Senate 1975–1981 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | OldestUnited States Senator 1977–1981 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate 1980 | Succeeded by |
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| Class 3 | ||
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| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
