Andrew Jackson Young
American
Andrew Young is notable as a leader of the American Civil Rights Movement, Ambassador to the United Nations, and two-term mayor of Atlanta. Born on March 12, 1932 in New Orleans, Young earned a bachelor of arts degree from Howard University in 1951. He later earned a bachelor of divinity degree from Hartford Theological Seminary as a minister in the United Church of Christ. Young first served as pastor at Evergreen Congregational Church in Beachton from 1957 to 1959. In his autobiography, An Easy Burden (1996), Young noted that the lessons he learned at Evergreen served him during the struggle for civil rights. During his pastorate at Evergreen, Young first became involved in the civil right movement. During the 1960s, he joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), and served as an administrative assistant and later as Executive Director under Dr Martin Luther King Jr. In 1972, he was elected to Congress. In 1976, President Jimmy Carter appointed him United States Ambassador to the United Nations. Young served as mayor of Atlanta from 1981 to 1989. He was co-chairman of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games and currently serves as President of the National Council of Churches. - NRHP 31 October 2002