Henry Young Cranston (October 9, 1789 – February 12, 1864) was a U.S. Representative from Rhode Island, brother of Robert B. Cranston.
Born in Newport, Rhode Island, Cranston attended the public schools. He engaged in mercantile pursuits in New Bedford, Massachusetts. He moved to Newport, Rhode Island, in 1810, and engaged in the commission business until 1815. He studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1819 and commenced practice in Newport. He served as clerk of the court of common pleas 1818–1833. He served as member of the State house of representatives 1827–1843. He served as member and vice president of the convention that framed the State constitution in 1842.
Cranston was elected as a Law and Order candidate to the Twenty-eighth Congress. He was reelected as a Whig to the Twenty-ninth Congress (March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1847). He was again a member of the State house of representatives 1847–1854 and served three years as speaker. In the 1840s, he was a member of the short-lived Law and Order Party of Rhode Island. He died in Newport, Rhode Island, February 12, 1864. He was interred in Island Cemetery.