Born: November 21, 1913
Died: 1968
Term: May 21, 1956 - October 2, 1956 (Acting Mayor)
Born in Tampa, Florida, Young was the son of Junie Lee, Sr. and Aleta Young nee Chastain. J. L. Young, Jr. attended local schools and, in 1931, graduated from Hillsborough High School. After high school, Young studied bookkeeping and business administration in vocational school and took correspondence courses in insurance. Young operated various retail businesses in the City and, in 1946, he helped to organize the Springs State Bank in Sulphur Springs, Florida (Sulphur Springs was annexed to Tampa on April 28, 1953).
Young was active in politics as well as civic affairs and was elected to the City Council of Tampa on July 7, 1953. On November 1, 1955, he became President of the City Council and Acting Mayor when Mayor Curtis Hixon passed away on May 21, 1956. In a special mayoral election held on September 27, 1956, J.L. Young campaigned for mayor against Nick Nuccio but lost to him by a narrow margin.
J.L. Young also served as a member of the Hillsborough County Zoning Board, Fire Control Board, and the Suburban Sanitary Sewer Board. In addition, he was Civilian Chief Air Warden for Hillsborough County. As a member of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce and of the Committee of 100, Young helped to establish the North Tampa Chamber of Commerce and served as its first president.
Young married Margaret Virginia Diaz on January 3, 1940 and the couple had two children. Junie Lee Young, Jr. died in Tampa in 1968.
Sources for this Biographical Sketch:
Covington, Dr. James W. and Wavering, Debbie Lee, "The Mayors of Tampa: A Brief Administrative History," Tampa, FL: University of Tampa, 1987.
Tampa Council Minutes, City of Tampa Archives, Tampa, FL
January 26, 1956 - July 31, 1956 # 38
August 7, 1956 - February 5, 1957