Andrew Young

Ambassador Andrew J. Young has earned worldwide recognition as a champion of civil and human rights. In a career that spans seven decades, he was a key strategist in civil rights campaigns, served three terms in Congress, was the first African American U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and a two-term mayor of Atlanta. Today, he continues to lead as a minister and as a philanthropist. He brings an emphasis on human rights and sustainable economic development in all he does. Ambassador Young has received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and other distinguished awards in recognition of his lifelong dedication to service.

Andrew J. Young has earned worldwide recognition as a pioneer in and champion of civil and human rights. Ambassador Young’s lifelong dedication to service is illustrated by his extensive leadership experience of over sixty-five years, serving as a member of Congress, African American U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Mayor of Atlanta, and ordained minister, among other positions.

During the 1960s, Young was a key strategist and negotiator during civil rights campaigns that led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Appointed as an Ambassador to the United Nations in 1977, Young negotiated an end to white-minority rule in Namibia and Zimbabwe and brought President Carter's emphasis on human rights to international diplomacy efforts. As two-term Mayor of Atlanta, Young brought in over 1,100 businesses, over 70 billion in foreign direct investments and generated over a million jobs.

Ambassador Young has received honorary degrees from more than 100 universities and colleges in the U.S. and abroad and has received various awards, including an Emmy Lifetime Achievement award in 2011 and the Dan Sweat Award in 2017. His portrait also became part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.

Ambassador Young also serves on a number of boards, including, but not limited to, the Martin Luther King Center for Non-Violent Social Change, Morehouse College, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State and Americas Mart. In 2003, he and his wife Carolyn McClain Young founded the Andrew J. Young Foundation to support and promote education, health, leadership and human rights in the U.S., Africa, and the Caribbean. Young currently serves as the Chairman of the Andrew J. Young Foundation.

In 2012, Young retired from GoodWorks International, LLC, after well over a decade of facilitating sustainable economic development in the business sectors of the Caribbean and Africa. Young was born in 1932 in New Orleans, and he currently lives in Atlanta with his wife, Carolyn McClain. He is also a father of three daughters and one son, a grandfather of nine and a great grandfather of one.

Andrew J. Young has earned worldwide recognition as a champion of civil and human rights, with a career spanning over sixty-five years. He has served as a member of Congress, the first African American U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and Mayor of Atlanta. During the 1960s, Young was a key strategist in civil rights campaigns, contributing to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. As U.N. Ambassador, he negotiated an end to white-minority rule in Namibia and Zimbabwe, while his two terms as Atlanta’s mayor brought significant economic growth to the city.

Ambassador Young has been honored with over 100 honorary degrees and numerous awards, including an Emmy Lifetime Achievement award. His portrait is part of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery's permanent collection. In 2003, he and his wife Carolyn founded the Andrew J. Young Foundation, supporting education, health, leadership, and human rights in the U.S., Africa, and the Caribbean. Young also serves on various boards, including the Martin Luther King Center and Morehouse College, and lives in Atlanta with his wife, Carolyn, and their family.