James Hunter Young was born on October 26, 1859, near Henderson, North Carolina. Young was a skilled political influencer, serving as a state legislator representing Wake County from 1894 to 1898. During that period, he worked diligently to support Republican fusionists to their rise with the election of Daniel L. Russell to the governorship in 1896. During the Russell administration, Young served as chief fertilizer inspector and on the board of the deaf, dumb, and blind institute. At the onset of the Spanish-American War, Young's natural leadership abilities garnered him a commission as colonel of the Third North Carolina Infantry, an all-African American unit that served stateside during the conflict. Young died in Raleigh on April 11, 1921.