Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Purchasing Dept.

Charles Duncanson Young was probably the most distinguished head of the Purchasing Department. Young was born at Washington, D.C., on May 19, 1876, and entered the service of the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway as a special apprentice on June 5, 1900. He rose steadily through the ranks of the Motive Power Department of Lines West, reaching the post of Assistant Engineer of Motive Power. On October 1, 1911, Young was transferred to Lines East as Engineer of Tests, the head of the Test Department at Altoona. On May 9, 1917, he was appointed Superintendent of Motive Power of the Southern Grand Division, embracing the lines south of Philadelphia.

After the USRA period, Young moved quickly from General Supervisor of Stores (1920-1924) to Stores Manager (1924-1927), and finally to General Purchasing Agent (1927-1932). On April 1, 1932, he was raised to executive rank as Vice President in Charge of Purchases, Stores & Insurance (1932-1938) and Vice President in Charge of Real Estate, Purchases & Insurance (1938-1942). Young took military leave on January 14, 1942, and spent the war years in government service. On March 9, 1942, he was given the rank of Brigadier-General as Director of Procurement & Distribution for the Services of Supply of the Army, but on July 1, he moved to the Office of Defense Transportation, where he remained for the duration. Young was promoted from Assistant Director to Deputy Director of ODT on January 16, 1943, and following the death of Director Joseph B. Eastman, he became Director, Pro Tem.

Young resigned from government service on November 1, 1945, and returned to the PRR as Vice President in Charge of Real Estate, Purchases & Insurance. His title was changed back to Vice President in Charge of Purchases, Stores & Insurance on October 16, 1946. The Franklin Institute awarded Young its Henderson Medal for his work on steam locomotive development and its Longstreth Medal for his work with locomotive superheaters. Young served as a divisional chairman of the Association of American Railroads and as President of the American Society for Testing Materials. He retired on June 1, 1948, and died at his home in Philadelphia on May 13, 1955.

From the description of Vice president C. D. Young's files on research and development, 1934-1944. (Hagley Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 164036297