Thomas Lowry Young (December 14, 1832 – July 20, 1888) was a Republican politician from Ohio. Young served as the 33rd Governor of Ohio.
Young was born in Killyleagh, County Down, Ireland, and immigrated with his parents to the United States in 1847. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1848, originally as a musician, and advanced through the ranks of the artillery to become a First Sergeant in the 3rd US Artillery by the time he finished his service in 1858, serving under Brevet Major John F. Reynolds.
Young joined Company F, of the Benton Cadets (a Missouri militia unit) as a captain in September 1861 after the outbreak of the Civil War, but resigned in December. He later received a commission as major in the 118th Ohio Infantry in September 1862 and served until September 1864, reaching the rank of lieutenant colonel in April 1863 and colonel in April 1864. "At the Battle of Resaca Colonel Young led the first charge on the center of the enemy's works, where his regiment was repulsed with great slaughter, losing one hundred and sixteen men out of two hundred and seventy in a few minutes. For this and other acts of gallantry the President, on the 13th of March, 1865, brevetted him Brigadier-General of volunteers."[1]
He graduated from the Cincinnati Law School in 1865 and won election to the Ohio House of Representatives, serving a single two-year term from 1866 to 1868. He was then elected to the Ohio State Senate, serving a single two-year term from 1871 to 1873. Young was elected the 12th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio in 1875, defeating Samuel Cary, taking office in 1876. He then filled out the term of Rutherford B. Hayes when the latter was elected to the presidency, serving from 1877 to 1878. He was then elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1878 and served two terms before losing a battle for renomination in 1882.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Alphonso Hart |
Lieutenant Governor of Ohio January 10, 1876 – March 2, 1877 |
Succeeded by H. W. Curtiss |
| Preceded by Rutherford B. Hayes |
Governor of Ohio March 2, 1877 – January 14, 1878 |
Succeeded by Richard M. Bishop |
| United States House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by Henry B. Banning |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's 2nd congressional district March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1883 |
Succeeded by Isaac M. Jordan |