Johnny Young

February 6, 1940 - July 24, 2021

It is with much sadness that we at The Washington Institute of Foreign Affairs, have been informed of the passing after a long illness, of one of our long-standing members, Ambassador Johnny Young.

Ambassador Young served in the Foreign Service from 1967 to 2005. During his long career, he held positions in the Budget and Fiscal Office, Bureau of Personnel and Office of the Inspector General, and chargé d'affaires. Ambassador Young served as U.S. Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Togo, Bahrain and Slovenia, achieving the rank of Career Ambassador. On his retirement he worked as a consultant , lecturer and as executive director of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Migration and Refugee Services Division. Ambassador Young also published a autobiography, "From The Projects to the Palace: A Diplomat's Unlikely Journey from the Bottom to the Top”.

Ambassador Young's remarkable and fascinating life story from humble beginnings in Savannah, Georgia to U.S. Ambassador, can be found on the Association for Diplomatic Studies & Training website at https://adst.org/oral-history/fascinating-figures/johnny-young-from-abject-poverty-to-chief-of-mission/