Le Grand Young, born December 21, 1840, in Nauvoo, Ill., was the third son and fourth child of Joseph Young and Adeline Bicknell Young. Joseph Young was a preacher of the gospel. He arrived in Utah with his family in 1850. After such schooling as a boy could obtain in Utah at that early period, Le Grand Young, at about twenty four years of age, commenced the study of law. He afterwards became a student in the law office of Hoge & Johnson in Salt Lake City. Mr. Young was admitted to the bar in 1810 and commenced the practice of law. He afterwards went to Ann Arbor Law School and graduated from there in 1814.

In 1863 Le Grand Young married Grace Hardie, the daughter of John Hardie, a ship captain of Scotland, who died in that land. His widow, Janet Downey Hardie, came to Utah with her family in 1856, having been converted to Mormonism. There were six children born to Mr. and Mrs. Young, two sons and four daughters.

Joseph Hardie Young, the oldest son, is having a successful railroad career, and is now with the Southern Pacific. Le Grand Young, Jr., is a young man who is also engaged in the railroad business, and is now with the Emigration Canon Railroad.

Mr. Young’s daughters are all accomplished women, and three are married as follows : Grace Young Kerr, whose husband is Kenneth C. Kerr, of the Salt Lake Route ; Lucille Young Reid, whose husband is Wm. Reid and is with the American Smelter Company ; Jasmine Young Freed, whose husband is the well known Lester D. Freed, in the furniture business in Salt Lake City. The remaining daughter, Afton, is unmarried.

Le Grand Young has always been a Democrat in politics. In 1895 in the first Democratic Judiciary Convention under statehood, Mr. Young was nominated as one of the judges of the District Court of the Third Judicial District in the State, while he was absent from home. He was afterwards elected to that office. He took his seat January 1, 1896, but he resigned the following May, for the reason that the salary was inadequate.

Mr. Young has always had a good law practice. He is now the senior member of the law firm of Young & Moyle. He is also president of the Emigration Canon Railroad Company, an electrical railroad making connection with the lines of the Utah Light & Railway in the eastern part of the city, and running practically to the head of Emigration Canon.

Mrs. Young, after living with her husband for nearly forty five years, died in March, 1908. She was a noble woman, a woman delightful to know, and a mother and wife whose equal is seldom found. The home at Eleventh East Street and Harvard Avenue, mostly through her influence, was always a bright and happy one, but it received a sad blow when without warning, and having been in her usual perfect health, this noble wife and mother was stricken with paralysis and expired March 14, 1908. Desolation is the word that best expresses the shadow cast by this sad event over this family. Not one of them had the slightest premonition of the sudden taking away of wife and mother that was to break on the home, and when every member of the family was gathered together from far and near she expired, surrounded by them all.

Le Grand Young is actively engaged with his law practice, but he finds time to give some attention to the general offices of the railroad of which he is the president.

Sketches of the Inter-Mountain States
1847 – 1909
Utah Idaho Nevada
Published by: The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake City, Utah 1909

Prominent Local Jurist Stricken by Hand of Death

Judge Le Grand Young, Well Known in Utah History, Succumbs Suddenly in Weber Canyon.

Judge Le Grand Young, 80, pioneer Utah jurist, died at his mountain estate in Weber canyon at midnight Sunday night. Judge Young had been suffering from a cold for several days and went to the canyon for a rest. He grew gradually worse until death. The body was brought to Salt Lake this morning and taken to the S. M. Taylor undertaking establishment.

With him at the time of death were three daughters, Mrs. Jasmine Freed, Mrs. Lucile Reid and Miss Afton Young, and Lester D. Freed, a son-in-law.

Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday in the LeGrand ward chapel.

Le Grand Young was born in Nauvoo, Ill., December 27, 1840, the son of Joseph and Mrs. Jane Adeline Bicknell Young. In 1850 he came to Utah with his father’s family, crossing the plains with Captain Snow’s company.

During his boyhood he attended the Utah schools and when about 24 years old he began the study of law. Later he became a student in the office of Hoge & Johnson in this city. In 1870 he was admitted to the bar and began the active practice of the law. After practising a short time he entered the law department of the University of Michigan from which he was graduated in 1874. In 1863 he was married to Miss Grace Hardie. To this couple were born six children, Joseph H., Le Grand. Jr., Grace, Lucille, Jasmine and Afton.

Judge Young was a Democrat in politics. In 1895 he was elected one of the judges of the Third judicial district and took his seat January 1, 1896. Later he resigned because of the inadequacy of the salary. For two terms he was a member of the City Council. Fifty years ago Judge Young drew up the articles of incorporation for the Utah Southern railroad. For years he was chief counsel for the Union Pacific railroad in Salt Lake. He was also president of the Emigration Canyon railroad. In 1869 and 1870 he filled a mission to New York and Illinois.

Mrs. Young died in 1908. Since then Miss Afton Young has kept house for her father. His son, Joseph H. Young is president of the Denver & Rio Grande railroad.