Fred Young is an American retired businessman. Young earned a bachelor's degree from
Cornell University
Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...
in 1964, and an MBA and master's degree in engineering from
Cornell
Cornell University is a private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson White in 1865. Since ...
in 1966. After graduating from college, Young took a job with Cummins Engine Company, in Columbus, OH as a product manager. He joined Young Radiator, the company that was founded by his father in 1927, as the sales manager of the industrial and oil field division in 1968. In Aug. 1973, he was appointed to vice president - industrial marketing and assistant general manager, responsible for stock products and engineered equipment for staionary applications. On May 25, 1983, he was named president and CEO of Young Radiator. Young sold the company to
MotivePower
MotivePower, Inc. (MPI) was an American manufacturer of diesel-electric locomotives. The company traces its history back to being a division of Morrison-Knudsen (MK) since 1972.
After retirement, he became a sponsor of academic research in astronomy, economics, and great ape conservation; a director of the Cato Institute and the Reason Foundation; and a member of the international Mont Pelerin Society. In 2020, the CCAT-p telescope, whose construction Fred Young had supported for over two decades and with over US$16 million, was renamed the Fred Young Submillimeter Telescope (FYST). In 2012, Young donated $100,000 to The Club for Growth Action, a conservative
Super PAC
Independent expenditure-only political action committees, better known as super PACs, are a type of political action committee (PAC) in the United States. Unlike traditional PACs, super PACs are legally allowed to fundraise unlimited amounts of m ...
. Young has supported other conservative groups and candidates, including Scott Walker. Young serves on the boards of the
Cato Institute
The Cato Institute is an American libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1977 by Ed Crane, Murray Rothbard, and Charles Koch, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Koch Industries.Koch ...
and the
Reason Foundation
The Reason Foundation is an American Libertarianism in the United States, libertarian think tank that was founded in 1978. The foundation publishes the magazine ''Reason (magazine), Reason''. Based in Los Angeles, California, it is a nonprofit, ...
. In 2013, Young filed a lawsuit challenging Wisconsin's campaign finance contribution limits.