Philip Young (May 9, 1910 – January 15, 1987) was an American government official and diplomat who served as United States ambassador to the Netherlands and chair of the United States Civil Service Commission.

Life and career The son of Owen D. Young, Philip Young was born in Lexington, Massachusetts on May 9, 1910. He graduated from the Choate School, received his bachelor's degree from St. Lawrence University, and graduated with a master of business administration degree from Harvard University in 1933.Wolfgang Saxon, New York Times, Philip Young is Dead at 76: Eisenhower's Personnel Chief, January 19, 1987

Young was initially employed as an economist at the Securities and Exchange Commission,Christian Science Monitor, , December 10, 1937 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.Christian Science Monitor, , June 26, 1941 Young joined the United States Navy after the United States became involved in hostilities, serving as a Lieutenant Commander in the supply corps.Johns Hopkins Press, The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower: The Presidency; Keeping the Peace, Volume 20, 2001, page 68

After the war Young entered the private sector, where he worked until becoming dean of Columbia University's Business School in 1948.Leonard Buder, New York Times, Columbia Business School Expands, August 28, 1949 While at Columbia he worked closely with Dwight D. Eisenhower during Eisenhower's term as president of the university. When Eisenhower became President of the United States in 1953, he appointed Young as his personnel manager and named him to a position on the Civil Service Commission.Associated Press, Columbia Aide Named to Civil Service Post, Milwaukee Journal, March 13, 1953Anthony Leviero, New York Times, Dean Young Slated Civil Service Head, March 11, 1953 He served until 1957. He was the commission's chairman from March 23, 1953, until resigning on February 11, 1957.Two sources Eisenhower Pledges To Rid Civil Service Of All Incompetents, "Florence Times" (Florence, Alabama), Mar 23, 1953 Two Quit CSC, "Reading Eagle" (Reading, Pennsylvania), Feb 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, where he served until 1960.new York Times, Philip Young named Envoy to the Hague, March 20, 1957

Upon returning to the United States, Young was named executive director of the United States Council for the International Chamber of Commerce, where he served until 1965.International Chamber of Commerce, ICC News: Monthly Bulletin of the International Chamber of Commerce, Volumes 27–33, 1961, page 80 He then worked for several years as a management consultant before retiring to Van Hornesville, New York and Great Falls, Virginia.Los Angeles Times, , January 24, 1987

He died in Arlington, Virginia on January 15, 1987.Social Security Death Index, entry for Philip Young, accessed December 17, 2012Associated 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