Philip Young (May 9, 1910 – January 15, 1987) was an American government official and diplomat who served as

United States ambassador to the Netherlands The United States diplomatic mission to the Netherlands consists of the embassy located in The Hague and a consular office located in Amsterdam. In 1782, John Adams was appointed America's first Minister Plenipotentiary to Holland. According t ...

and chair of the

United States Civil Service Commission The United States Civil Service Commission was a government agency of the federal government of the United States and was created to select employees of federal government on merit rather than relationships. In 1979, it was dissolved as part of t ...

Life and career

The son of Owen D. Young, Philip Young was born in

Lexington, Massachusetts Lexington is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is 10 miles (16 km) from Downtown Boston. The population was 34,454 as of the 2020 census. The area was originally inhabited by Native Americans, and was firs ...

on May 9, 1910. He graduated from the Choate School, received his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

from St. Lawrence University, and graduated with a

master of business administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accoun ...

degree from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

in 1933. Young was initially employed as an

economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this field there are ...

at the Securities and Exchange Commission, where he worked until 1938, when he moved to the Treasury Department, where he worked on the Lend-Lease Program at the start of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. Young joined the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

after the United States became involved in hostilities, serving as a

Lieutenant Commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding ran ...

in the supply corps. After the war Young entered the private sector, where he worked until becoming

dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

of Columbia University's Business School in 1948. While at Columbia he worked closely with

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

during Eisenhower's term as president of the university. When Eisenhower became

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

in 1953, he appointed Young as his personnel manager and named him to a position on the

Civil Service Commission A civil service commission is a government agency that is constituted by legislature to regulate the employment and working conditions of civil servants, oversee hiring and promotions, and promote the values of the public service. Its role is rough ...

. He served until 1957. He was the commission's chairman from March 23, 1953 until resigning on February 11, 1957. He garnered mixed attention for carrying out an executive order to purge government departments of individuals who were only suspected of being subversive.Associated Press
Young Says Risks Fired Aren't Always Reds, Subversives
Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star, March 2, 1954 In 1957 Young was appointed as the ambassador to the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, where he served until 1960. Upon returning to the United States, Young was named Executive Director of the United States Council for the

International Chamber of Commerce The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC; French: ''Chambre de commerce internationale'') is the largest, most representative business organization in the world. Its over 45 million members in over 100 countries have interests spanning every sec ...

, where he served until 1965. He then worked for several years as a management consultant before retiring to Van Hornesville, New York and

Great Falls, Virginia Great Falls is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population as of the 2010 census was 15,427, an increase of 80.5% from the 2000 census. History Colonial farm settlements began to form in the area a ...

. He died in

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county ...

on January 15, 1987.Associated Press
Obituary, Philip Young
Toledo Blade, January 19, 1987

References

External links

Philip Young diplomatic career summary
Office of the Historian, United States Department of State {{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Philip (ambassador) 1910 births 1987 deaths People from Lexington, Massachusetts People from Herkimer County, New York People from Great Falls, Virginia Choate Rosemary Hall alumni St. Lawrence University alumni Harvard Business School alumni United States Navy personnel of World War II Ambassadors of the United States to the Netherlands 20th-century American diplomats