Willard Young was a prominent member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) who served for many years in the United States military, and later held high positions within the LDS Church's administration. He also served as an educational leader.

Born in Salt Lake City, Utah Territory

Utah Territory

The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah....

, Young was the son of Brigham Young

Brigham Young

Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...

 and Clarissa Ross Young. His mother died when he was six, and after this Zina D. H. Young

Zina D. H. Young

Zina Diantha Huntington Jacobs Smith Young was an American social activist and religious leader who served as the third general president of the Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1888 until her death...

 acted as his mother. Young is at times described as Zina's "foster son".

In 1860, Young was baptized a member of the LDS Church by James Works.

In 1871, Young began as a cadet at West Point

United States Military Academy

The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...

. He graduated from West Point in 1875 and was appointed a second lieutenant

Second Lieutenant

Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...

 with the United States Army Corps of Engineers

United States Army Corps of Engineers

The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...

. From 1875 to 1877 he was stationed at Willets Point, New York. From 1877 to 1879 he worked under Lieutenant Wheeler in the geographical survey in of the United States west of the 100th meridian.

From 1879 to 1883 Young was an instructor and then a professor at West Point.

Young married Harriet Hooper on August 1, 1882. She was the daughter of Willam H. Hooper. Young was ordained a seventy in 1891 and served as a Mutual Improvement Association Missionary in Davis

Davis County, Utah

Davis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of 2010 the population was 306,479, a 28.2% increase over the 2000 figure of 238,994. It was named for Daniel C. Davis, captain in the Mormon Battalion. The county is part of the Ogden–Clearfield Metropolitan Statistical Area as...

, Weber

Weber County, Utah

Weber County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah, occupying a stretch of the Wasatch Front, part of the eastern shores of Great Salt Lake, and much of the rugged Wasatch Mountains. As of the 2000 census, the population was 196,533, an increase of 24.1% over its population in 1990. By...

 and Box Elder

Box Elder County, Utah

Box Elder County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. It lies on the north end of the Great Salt Lake, covering a large area north to the Idaho border and west to the Nevada border. Included in this area are large tracts of barren desert, contrasted by high, forested mountains. The...

 counties in northern Utah. While working for the Corps of Engineers, Young was involved in making detailed maps of northern Utah and southern Idaho

Idaho

Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....

.

Young was the local supervisor in the construction of the Cascade Locks in Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

. In 1886 Young was advanced to the rank of captain. From October 1889 to June 1890 Young was stationed in Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....

, supervising the Third District of the Mississippi River.

In 1891, Young resigned from the Army. From 1891 until 1893 Young served as president of Young University. From 1893 to 1895 Young was city engineer for Salt Lake City. He then was appointed Utah's first state engineer, a position he held until the start of the Spanish American War.

In 1896 Young was appointed brigadier-general of the Utah National Guard

Utah National Guard

The Utah National Guard consists of the:* Utah Army National Guard**19th Special Forces Group **85th WMD CST**97th Troop Command**115th Engineer Group **211th Aviation Group**300th MI Brigade **640th Regiment...

. He was still serving in this position when the Spanish American War began. He was a key figure in organizing the Utah volunteers. He then was appointed a colonel in the Second Regiment, U.S. Volunteer Engineers. He eventually went to Cuba

Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

 and served in the army until May 16, 1899.

From 1906 until 1915 Young was the president of the LDS Business College

LDS Business College

LDS Business College is a two-year college in Salt Lake City, Utah, focused on training students in business and industry. The college is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and operates under the Church Educational System and is associated with the Brigham Young University...

. In this position he had responsibility for general supervision of the Deseret Gym.

From 1907 Young served as an alternate member of the Ensign Stake High Council.

From January 1916 until July 1917 Young served as an assistant to the president

Temple President

Temple president is a priesthood leadership position in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A temple president's primary responsibility is to supervise the affairs of an LDS temple in both an administrative and spiritual capacity....

 of the Logan Utah Temple

Logan Utah Temple

The Logan Utah Temple is the 4th constructed and 2nd operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located in the city of Logan, Utah, it was the second LDS temple built in the Rocky Mountains .The LDS temple in Logan was announced on May 18, 1877, just after the dedication...

. With the outbreak of World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, Young again joined the army. During the war he was in charge of the Kansas City Engineer District.

In 1919 Young was made superintendent of the LDS Church's building activities. From 1923, this department supervised the building of meetinghouses and seminary buildings, providing the architectural plans for the buildings.