Ellen Young (politician)

{{Short description|American politician}}

{{Short description|American politician}}

{{Infobox officeholder

== Overview ==

Ellen Young (Chinese: 楊愛倫; pinyin: Yáng Àilún; born 1952) is an American politician who represented the 22nd Assembly District in the New York State Assembly. A member of the Democratic Party, she was elected in 2006 to represent Flushing, Queens.[1] She is currently the Chairwoman and CEO of the United Nations Peace and Development Fund.

==Early life and career==

Young moved to New York at the age of 25 from Taiwan after graduating from Takming University of Science and Technology in Taipei. Following a prolonged recovery from a near-fatal bicycling accident in her Assembly District, she redirected her professional focus. She later enrolled at the St. John’s University Institute of Asian Studies, earning a master’s degree and a Certificate of Academic Excellence in 2012.

==Political career==

Young lost the 2008 Democratic primary for reelection to Grace Meng. The election was closely contested, with Young supported by John Liu and Meng supported by her father, former Assemblyman Jimmy Meng.[2]

She became the first Asian woman elected to the New York State Legislature. During her tenure, she passed five bills into law, including legislation extending senior-citizen services, making her the first Asian American to pass a law in New York State. She also secured an 83% increase in district spending while the overall New York State budget was reduced by 20%. In addition, she served as speaker pro tempore, a special legislative honor.[2]

Young was appointed to the New York State Supreme Court Grievance Committee for the Second, Eleventh, and Thirteenth Judicial Districts, serving two terms from 2011 to 2019.

In 2021, she ran for the New York City Council representing the 20th District but was defeated by Sandra Ung in the eighth round of ranked-choice voting.

== Current position ==

She is the Chairwoman and CEO of the United Nations Peace and Development Fund.{{Infobox officeholder

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'''Ellen Young''' ({{lang-zh|t=楊愛倫|p=Yáng Àilún}}; born 1952) is an American politician who represented the [[New York's 22nd State Assembly district|22nd assembly district]] in the [[New York State Assembly]]. A [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]], she was elected in 2006 to represent [[Flushing, Queens]].{{Cite web|url=http://wiserwithage.com/2014/05/27/first-female-asian-elected-official-on-the-east-coast-continues-to-give-back-and-speak-up/|title=First female Asian elected official on the East Coast continues to give back and speak up|date=27 May 2014}} She is currently the Chairwoman & CEO for the [[United Nations]] Peace and Development Fund.

==Early life and career==

Young came to New York at the age of 25 from [[Taiwan]] after graduating from [[Takming University of Science and Technology]] in [[Taipei]]. After a lengthy recovery from a near-fatal bicycling accident in her Assembly District, Young was forced to direct her energy and expertise elsewhere. She enrolled at the [[St. John's University (New York City)|St. John's University]] Institute of Asian Studies, earning her master's degree with a Certificate of Academic Excellence in 2012.

==Political career==

Young lost in the 2008 primary for reelection to [[Grace Meng]]. The election was hotly contested as Young was supported by [[John Liu]] and Meng was supported by her father, previous Assemblyman [[Jimmy Meng]].{{cite web|url=http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/albany/20080902/204/2632|title=A Feud in Flushing|first=Sara|last=Jerome|publisher=}} She became the first Asian woman elected to the [[New York State Legislature]]. She had a more substantial record than many first-term Assembly members, by passing five bills into law, including a measure to extend [[Senior citizen|senior-citizen]] services. Therefore, Young became the first Asian American to pass a law in New York State. During her term in the New York State Legislature, Ellen obtained an 83% increase in spending for her district while the total budget of New York State was cut by 20%. She also presided over the body as speaker pro-tempore, a special honor.

Young was also appointed to the [[New York Supreme Court|New York State Supreme Court]] Grievance Committee for the Second, Eleventh and Thirteenth Judicial District, serving two terms running from 2011 to 2019.

In [[2021 New York City Council election|2021]], Young ran for the [[New York City Council]] to represent the [[New York City's 20th City Council district|20th district]]. She was defeated by [[Sandra Ung]] in the 8th round of [[ranked choice voting]] tabulations.

== References ==

== References ==