Aretas William Young

Infobox Military Person
name= Sir Aretas William Young
lived= c. 1778 – 1 December, 1835


placeofbirth=
placeofdeath= Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
allegiance= flagicon|United Kingdom United Kingdom
serviceyears= 1795 to 1835
rank= Colonel
branch= flagicon|United Kingdom British Army
commands=
unit=
battles= French Revolutionary Wars Napoleonic Wars • Peninsular War
awards= Knight Bachelor
laterwork= Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island

Colonel Sir Aretas William Young was a British Army officer and colonial administrator of the early nineteenth century. After extensive military service in the Peninsular War and elsewhere, Young held a range of colonial government roles in the West Indies and Prince Edward Island, of which he was Lieutenant Governor. Young was knighted in 1834 for his colonial service, and eventually died in office at Charlottetown and was replaced by General John Harvey.

Life

Young was born in approximately 1778 and entered the army in 1795 as an ensign, purchasing a captaincy in the 13th Regiment of Foot in 1796 and being deployed to Ireland during the Rebellion of 1798. In 1801, Young and his regiment were attached to General Abercromby's army in the Egyptian campaign and the fighting around Alexandria and in 1807 Young transferred to the 47th Regiment of Foot as a major. Young later served in all the major campaigns of the Peninsular War until 1813, when he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and attached to the administration of the island of Trinidad, captured from the Spanish 16 years before. [http://www.gov.pe.ca/photos/original/ele_governors.pdf Biography Sir Aretas William Young] , "Prince Edward Island Governors, Lieutenant Governors and Administrators", Elections P.E.I. Office, p. 9, Retrieved 3 August 2008 ]

In 1815, Young was engaged in the invasion of Guadeloupe and for his service in the operation was commended by King Louis XVII. Between the end of the war and 1825, Young performed a number of roles as deputy to the Governor of Trinidad; commanding the 3rd West Indian Regiment and acting as an official on Grenada and Trinidad. For these services he was twice rewarded with large sums of money and ceremonial gifts by the island's Council of Assembly. In 1826, Young was made protector of slaves in Demerara and in 1831 was nominated to become Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island off Canada following the sudden death of Sir Murray Maxwell, who briefly held the role.

Young was very successful in his governorship, being knighted in 1834 for his services. [LondonGazette|issue=19172|startpage=1307|date=11 July 1834|accessdate=2008-07-28 ] He died at Charlottetown the following year and was replaced by Sir John Harvey. Young was survived by his wife Sarah Cox and their children, who included Henry Young, later an important Australian politician.

Notes

References

* cite web
title = Sir Aretas William Young
work = Prince Edward Island Governors, Lieutenant Governors and Administrators, Elections P.E.I. Office, p. 9, Retrieved on 3 August 2008
url = http://www.gov.pe.ca/photos/original/ele_governors.pdf Biography

Persondata
NAME=Young, Aretas William
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= British Army officer
DATE OF BIRTH= c. 1778
PLACE OF BIRTH=Unknown
DATE OF DEATH=1 December 1835
PLACE OF DEATH=Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island