Robert A. Young

Robert A. Young
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Missouri's 2nd district
In office January 3, 1977 – January 3, 1987
Preceded by	James W. Symington
Succeeded by	Jack Buechner
Member of the Missouri Senate
In office 1962-1976
Member of the Missouri House of Representatives
In office 1956-1962
Personal details
Born	(1923-11-27)November 27, 1923 St. Louis, Missouri
Died	October 17, 2007(2007-10-17) (aged 83) St. Ann, Missouri
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Irene Slawson

Robert Anton Young III (November 27, 1923 – October 17, 2007) was a

Education and family background

Young was the oldest child in a family that grew to include nine children. He was educated in parochial schools in St. Louis County. He attended McBride High School and graduated from Normandy High School in 1941.

He married Irene Slawson on November 27, 1947, and they were married for fifty years, until her death in 1997. Their family includes three children, Anne, Peggy, and Robert. Nine grandchildren, Matthew, Kevin, Katie, Jason, Megan, Robert, John, Blake, and Teresa, and ten great-grandchildren, Robert, Chelsie, Morgan, Kennedy, Kendall, Cydney, Tegan, Cameron, and Kaiden. Young was a union pipefitter by trade, a member of Pipefitters and Plumbers Local 562, AFL-CIO, St. Louis, until his election to Congress in 1976.

Military service

Young served in the

Young was reelected without serious difficulty in 1978 and 1980. However, after the 1980 census, Young's district was significantly altered as a result of Missouri losing a congressional district. He lost his share of St. Louis, and was instead pushed into more conservative territory to the west. Although he took 56 percent in 1982, he was nearly defeated by Republican State Representative Jack Buechner in 1984 as Ronald Reagan took almost 60 percent of the vote in his district. Young faced Buechner again in 1986, and this time lost by 7,400 votes.

Young was a strong proponent of

After his retirement from public office, Young remained active and involved in community affairs. He was a life member of Amvets, VFW, and was an active member of American Legion Post 338 in Overland, Missouri. He also served on the Board of the James S. McDonnell USO and was a member of the St. Louis Airport Commission.

Awards and honors

In 1988, President Ronald Reagan designated the federal building in downtown St. Louis as the Robert A. Young Federal Building in Young's honor. Originally named the St. Louis Mart and Terminal Warehouse, the Art Deco building at 1222 Spruce Street was designed by Preston J. Bradshaw and completed in 1933. The building was transferred to the United States Army in 1941. In 1961 it was acquired by the General Services Administration and used to accommodate federal agency offices. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.^[1]

Other awards and honors Young has received include the following:

• The
  RCGA
  Board of Directors
• Honorary Doctor of Humanities from the Logan School of Chiropractic
• The "Able Helmsman" of the Year by the Greater St. Louis Port Council
• Dean's Award from the University of Missouri, St. Louis
• St. Louis County Historical Society "Father Faherty" Award, 1992
• Thomas Jefferson Award from the St. Louis County Democrats, 2001

Death

Young died on October 17, 2007, due to liver disease.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Robert A. Young.

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Robert A. Young Papers (1974-1986) in the Western Historical Manuscript Collection, University of Missouri-St. Louis
• Appearances on C-SPAN