Andrew Young
A strategist and diplomat who translated the moral force of the civil rights movement into tangible political power on the world stage.
Born 1932 (age 94)·American politician, diplomat, activist and pastor·Birthday: March 12·The Silent Generation
Biography
Andrew Young operated in the crucial space between the pulpit and the power broker's office. A pastor from New Orleans, he was drawn into the civil rights movement, becoming a trusted lieutenant to Martin Luther King Jr. and a master negotiator during campaigns in Birmingham and Selma. His calm demeanor and tactical mind were assets in tense standoffs. After King's assassination, Young carried the movement's ethos into politics itself. Elected as Georgia's first Black congressman since Reconstruction, he later served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations under Jimmy Carter, bringing a voice of pragmatic idealism to global affairs. As mayor of Atlanta, he focused on economic development, aggressively courting international investment to transform the city into a commercial capital. Young's life represents a bridge—from the streets of the segregated South to the halls of global diplomacy, always armed with a formidable blend of faith and political savvy.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Andrew was born in 1932, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Andrew Was Born
The biggest hits of 1932
#1 Movie
Grand Hotel
Best Picture
Grand Hotel
Andrew's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1932Born
Amelia Earhart flies solo across the Atlantic
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Night and Day" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Grand Hotel
1937Started school
Hindenburg disaster; Golden Gate Bridge opens
Gas: $0.20/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" — Ella FitzgeraldBest Picture: The Life of Emile Zola
1945Became a teenager
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1948Could drive
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1950Could vote
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1953Turned 21
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1962Turned 30
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1972Turned 40
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1982Turned 50
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1992Turned 60
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 70
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 80
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2026Age 94 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as a key strategist and executive director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) during the peak of the civil rights movement.
- Became the first African American elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia since Reconstruction in 1972.
- Appointed as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations by President Jimmy Carter in 1977.
- Served two terms as Mayor of Atlanta, presiding over a period of significant economic growth and international expansion for the city.
Did You Know?
He was with Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis on the day King was assassinated.
Young was ordained as a minister in the United Church of Christ.
He played a crucial role in bringing the 1996 Summer Olympic Games to Atlanta.
“It's not necessary to blow out the other person's light to let your own shine.”
