Biography of Andrew Young

A pastor, civil and human rights leader, former Member of Congress, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and mayor of Atlanta, Andrew Young began his career in public service in the 1960s as a close associate of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. During Dr. King's tenure as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Young served as the organization's executive director and executive vice president. He organized many of King's famous marches and was with King at the time of his assassination.

Young continued to play a vital role in the civil rights movement after King’s death. In 1972, he ran and won the Congressional seat for the Fifth District of Georgia, making him the first African-American Member of Congress from Georgia in 101 years. He served two terms in Congress and sat on several powerful committees, including the House Banking and Currency Committee and the House Rules Committee. He focused on a wide range of issues, including foreign affairs, the environment, human rights, and labor rights.

In January 1977, Young was appointed U.S. Representative to the United Nations, and he remained in that position until September 1979. During that period, he was also a member of President Carter's Cabinet and the National Security Council, as well as the U.S. representative at many international conferences.

Young became mayor of Atlanta in January 1982 and was reelected to a second term in 1985 by an overwhelming margin. During his eight-year tenure, Atlanta enjoyed unprecedented economic success with an addition of 100,000 new jobs. Young wooed such companies as SunTrust Bank, the Gannett Broadcasting Group, IBM's Atlantic Center, and the Southern Railway to the city. His visibility and influence in both national and international arenas played a pivotal role in bringing the 1996 Summer Olympics to Atlanta. He also assured that this economic growth was shared among all levels of society by conducting thirty percent of all city business with minority-owned businesses. By the time Young stepped down as mayor, 420 of the Fortune 500 companies were located in Atlanta.

Following his terms as mayor, Young joined Law Companies Group, Inc., one of the most respected engineering and environmental consulting companies in the world. He served as chairperson of its subsidiary, Law International, Inc., until February 1993 when he was appointed vice chairperson of Law Companies Group. He served as co-chair of the Atlanta Committee for the 1996 Olympic Games. Recently, President Clinton appointed him chairperson of the recently formed Southern Africa Enterprise Development Fund (SAEDF), a $100 million fund created to help establish small and medium-sized businesses throughout Southern Africa. Young also heads his consulting firm, Goodworks International, which was recently hired by Nike, Inc., to review the company’s international labor code of conduct.

He is a member of numerous boards, including Delta Airlines, Thomas Nelson Publishing Company, Host Marriott Corporation, the Howard University Board of Trustees, the Georgia Tech Advisory Board, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center Board of Directors, the Global Infrastructure Fund, and the Center for Global Partnership.

Young has received many awards during his career, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian award; the Legion d’Honneur (France); and more than 45 honorary degrees from universities such as Notre Dame, Yale, Morehouse and Emory. He is a graduate of Howard University and Hartford Theological