William Douglas Young
Sir William Douglas Young was a colonial administrator from British Columbia who was Governor of the Falkland Islands from 1915 to 1920.Early life
William Young was born in the newly created Colony of British Columbia, where his father, William Alexander George Young was the first Colonial Secretary. His mother was Cecilia Eliza Cowan Cameron, born in British Guiana; her stepfather, David Cameron was Chief Justice of the neighbouring Crown Colony of Vancouver Island, and her uncle James Douglas was the first Governor of British Columbia. William Young was educated at Charterhouse School, and entered the British Colonial civil service in 1877, aged 18.Career
In 1889, Young was appointed chief Clerk in the Government Secretary's Office, British Guiana, where his mother was born and grew up with his grandmother. In 1895 he became Assistant Colonial Secretary of Mauritius, where he was acting Colonial Secretary in 1896, 1897 and 1898. In 1901, he was appointed Commissioner of the Turks and Caicos Islands where he worked until 1905. He was Administrator of Dominica in 1906 and was made CMG in the birthday honours list of November 1907.
He was appointed acting Governor and Commissioner-in-Chief in the British Leeward Islands in 1909, and Administrator and Colonial Secretary of St. Lucia in 1913. He moved to the Windward Islands where he was acting Governor and Commissioner-in-Chief in 1914, before his last posting as Governor of the Falkland Islands from 1915 to 1920. During his time as governor he banned humpback whaling for the 1918–1919 season in the Falkland Islands Dependencies, based on a reduction in numbers in the previous year.
Young was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1919 Birthday Honours.
He was a member of the Isthmian Club.Family
William Young was the oldest of three children born to William A. G. Young, R.N., and Cecilia Eliza Cowan Cameron. His siblings were:
