Richard Montgomery Young (February 20, 1798 November 28, 1861) was a U.S. Senator

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

 from Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

.

Young was born in Fayette County

Fayette County

Fayette County is the name of eleven counties in the United States:*Fayette County, Alabama*Fayette County, Georgia*Fayette County, Illinois*Fayette County, Indiana*Fayette County, Iowa*Fayette County, Kentucky*Fayette County, Ohio...

, Kentucky

Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...

 and was admitted to the bar in 1814. In 1817, he moved his law practices to Jonesboro

Jonesboro, Illinois

Jonesboro is a city in Union County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,853 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Union County, and was the location of the third of the Lincoln-Douglas debates, on 15 September 1858.-Geography:...

, Illinois and was appointed a Captain in the State Militia. He served in the Illinois state house from 1820–1822 and as a circuit court judge from 1825-1837. He resigned his judgeship after being elected to the U.S. Senate in 1837.

Upon the end of his term in the Senate, he was appointed to the Illinois Supreme Court (1843–1847) and then became a land office commissioner by appointment of James K. Polk

James K. Polk

James Knox Polk was the 11th President of the United States . Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He later lived in and represented Tennessee. A Democrat, Polk served as the 17th Speaker of the House of Representatives and the 12th Governor of Tennessee...

. He served as the Clerk to the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 in 1850 and practiced law in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 from 1851 until his death.

Young was the presiding judge at the 1844 trial of the accused murderers

Death of Joseph Smith, Jr.

The death of Joseph Smith, Jr. on June 27, 1844 marked a turning point for the Latter Day Saint movement, of which Smith was the founder and leader. When he was attacked and killed by a mob, Smith was the mayor of Nauvoo, Illinois, and running for President of the United States...

 of Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement

Latter Day Saint movement

The Latter Day Saint movement is a group of independent churches tracing their origin to a Christian primitivist movement founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. in the late 1820s. Collectively, these churches have over 14 million members...

.

External links