Representative Clarence Clifton Young

Clarence Clifton “Cliff” Young (November 7, 1922 – April 3, 2016), known professionally as C. Clifton Young, was an American lawyer, legislator, jurist, and conservation leader who represented Nevada in the United States House of Representatives from 1953 to 1957. A member of the Republican Party, he served two terms in Congress and later held prominent positions in Nevada’s state government and judiciary, as well as in national conservation organizations.

Young was born on November 7, 1922, in Lovelock, Pershing County, Nevada. He grew up in Nevada and maintained close ties to the state throughout his life and career. After completing his early education in Nevada, he enrolled at the University of Nevada, where he earned a bachelor’s degree. His academic promise and interest in the law led him to pursue legal studies at Harvard Law School, from which he received his Juris Doctor. His legal training at Harvard provided the foundation for a long career in both public service and the practice of law.

Following his admission to the bar, Young embarked on a legal and political career that quickly brought him to national office. A Republican, he was elected in 1952 to the U.S. House of Representatives from Nevada’s at-large congressional district and took his seat in the 83rd Congress on January 3, 1953. He was re-elected in 1954, serving in the 84th Congress through January 3, 1957. His tenure in the House coincided with a significant period in American history marked by the early Cold War, the Eisenhower administration, and the beginnings of the modern civil rights era. During his two terms, Young participated in the legislative process, represented the interests of his Nevada constituents, and contributed to national policy debates as a member of the House of Representatives.

In 1956, rather than seek another term in the House, Young pursued higher office. He won the Republican nomination for the United States Senate from Nevada and ran against incumbent Democratic Senator Alan Bible. The general election was closely contested, but Young was defeated by Bible in what was regarded as a competitive race. With the conclusion of his House service in 1957, he returned to Nevada and resumed his legal and political activities at the state level.

Young’s state legislative career began in earnest when he was elected to the Nevada Senate, where he served from 1966 to 1980. Over the course of fourteen years in the state senate, he played a significant role in shaping Nevada’s legislative agenda during a period of rapid growth and change in the state’s economy and population. His work in the legislature further solidified his reputation as a leading Republican figure in Nevada and as an experienced lawmaker with a deep understanding of both state and federal issues.

In addition to his legislative service, Young was active in conservation and environmental policy. From 1981 to 1983, he served as president of the National Wildlife Federation, one of the nation’s largest conservation organizations. In that role, he helped guide the organization’s efforts to promote wildlife protection, environmental stewardship, and responsible natural resource management, bringing to the position both his legal expertise and his experience in public office.

Young’s public service culminated in a long tenure on Nevada’s highest court. He was elected to the Nevada Supreme Court and served as a justice from 1985 to 2002. During this seventeen-year period, he participated in numerous significant decisions affecting Nevada law and jurisprudence. He also served as chief justice of the Nevada Supreme Court from 1989 to 1990, a role in which he oversaw the administration of the state’s judicial system and helped guide the court’s institutional development. In recognition of his contributions to the state and to the federal judiciary system in Nevada, the Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Reno, Nevada, was renamed in his honor in 1988.

Clarence Clifton Young died in Reno, Nevada, on April 3, 2016, at the age of 93. His long career in public life—spanning service in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Nevada Senate, the Nevada Supreme Court, and national conservation leadership—left a lasting imprint on Nevada’s political and legal history and on the institutions with which he was associated.