Through the popularizing of electricity, many wonderful changes have conic about during the last forty years. To accomplish these seemingly marvelous results, two classes of men were needed—the inventor and the business man. Among the latter class, few men have made a greater or more lasting impression upon the state of Connecticut, and, incidentally upon the northeastern section of the United States, than Alden March Young.

Mr. Young was a native of Hadley, New York, born September 6, 1853. His parents were Dr. William S. and Esther (Kilbourne) Young. His father was of Scotch descent, while the Kilbournes were of New Hartford stock. After completing the public school course in his native town, it was the intention of Mr. Young's father, who was a civil war surgeon, that his son should follow in his footsteps. As a consequence, Mr. Young spent some time studying with his father along medical lines, and tutoring on general subjects. But Mr. Young soon found that his natural abilities were not having their proper development and, with that quick decision, which later became characteristic, he abandoned medicine as a career and took up electricity, which was to be the medium of his greatest help to his community.

His first employment, along his chosen lines, was with the Western Union Telegraph Company at Syracuse. He soon became an expert telegrapher, and operated for the stock exchange in Buffalo. Later, going to New York, he became familiar with the cable department of the Atlantic & Pacific Telegraph Company, and then returned to Buffalo, as manager of the company there, taking this position before he reached the age of twenty-five.

After a few unimportant changes of employment, which, however, served to broaden his knowledge of the practical working of electricity, as then known, Mr. Young moved to Waterbury in June, 1878. Here he became superintendent and manager of the Waterbury Automatic Signal Telegraph Company. In this capacity he installed for the Waterbury Clock Company the first telephone in Waterbury.

Mr. Young's interest in electric call bells, and the incidental wiring, caused the inception, in 1880, of the movement which resulted in the development of the New England Engineering Company, a corporation of which Mr. Young was president at the time of his death, and which operated five retail and contract departments, a New York contracting office, and owned the stock of a successful wholesale electric concern. This company has done some of the most important electric installation work in Connecticut, as well as large central station construction in New York, New Jersey and Ohio. After having been out of the Waterbury Automatic Company for a short time, Mr. Young returned as secretary, which position he retained until 1888.

Mr. Young's interest in the expansion and uses of electricity caused him to associate himself with Messrs. Plume, Turner and A. O. Shepardson in the chartering of a corporation to furnish electric light and power in Waterbury. The first plant of this company was in a frame building on Bank street, afterwards used as a pattern shop by the Waterbury Farrel Foundry and Machine Company. In 1893, over two hundred miles of electric wire had been strung about the city. The same year the legislature amended the charter of the Waterbury Horse Railroad Company, and changed its name to the Waterbury Traction Company. Mr. Young became secretary, and was chiefly responsible for the electrification of that line. Previous to this, however, he had been the first to apply electricity to the movement of street railway cars in Connecticut, by electrifying the Derby Street Railway. He then applied power to the New Haven and West Haven road, the second in this state to be electrified. As a pioneer in the development of electrical energy, Mr. Young had to meet the opposition of the so-called vested interests. The New Haven road was his bitter opponent when it came to paralleling steam lines with electric trolleys. Lawyers still talk of the Canastotia Knife Company's famous injunction suit. This was an attempt by the steam road to hold up a trolley line, by preventing a necessary crossing. Mr. Young's practicality was exemplified by the fact that while he employed the best obtainable legal talent, and left the suit to them. He anticipated the possibility of an adverse decision by quietly purchasing other property. The result was that the court decided in favor of the steam road, but the trolley line was built on another right of way.

As the development of electricity for lighting and power purposes became more popular, the inevitable result of such development became apparent in the duplication of plants, excess overhead charges and lack of efficiency. Mr. Young was among the first to see that a certain amount of consolidation was necessary in the interests of both consumers and owners. From this point, Mr. Young became more the manager of men, than of physical instrumentality, and one of his most notable works was the creation of the Connecticut Railway & Lighting Company, which absorbed so many of the railway and lighting properties in Connecticut, and welded them into a unit capable of proper and economical operation. Gradually Mr. Young's activities carried him beyond the borders of Connecticut, and he organized, reorganized and consolidated companies in many cities and towns in New York and New Jersey, and later in Ohio, always building up and leaving the industry in a more efficient condition than he found it.

Among others, he was interested in the Albany Southern Railroad Company, King's County Electric Light & Power Company, Edison Electric Illuminating Company of Brook-lyn, Fairmont & Clarksburg Traction Company, Northern Westchester Lighting Company, Corning Power & Light Company, Dayton Power & Light Company, and companies in Poughkeepsie and Plattsburg, New York, Palmer, Massachusetts, and Newark, Elizabeth, Paterson, Dover, Somerville, Morristown and Boonton, New Jersey.

The result of Mr. Young's activities made a New York office a necessity and resulted in his leaving Waterbury and spending his winters in or about New York, and his summers at Pine Orchard. In 1898 he succeeded Mr. Samuel Insull as president of the National Elec-tric Light Association. His wide knowledge of public utilities caused the larger operators to feel the necessity of his services, and he appeared on the boards of the American Gas & Electric Company, the Electric Bond & Share Company, and the American Power & Light Company.

Mr. Young's activities were not confined solely to the electrical industry. He was a director of the National Carbon Company, a cement company, two real estate companies, and was interested in many other ventures.

After moving to New York, Mr. Young took into his office Milton J. Warner, one of his sons-in-law, and later formed the partnership of Young & Warner, which managed the various Young properties.

Upon leaving Waterbury, Mr. Young spent his summers with his family at Pine Orchard and considered that locality his home. At the time of his first purchase, Pine Orchard was practically undeveloped. His restless energy and capacity for making friends and improving situations was largely responsible for the creation of what is now one of Connecticut's most highly developed summer colonies. The Chapel, which is the center of the religious life of the community, as well as the Country Club, which is the center of its social and athletic life, are largely the results of Mr. Young's activity and generosity. He is responsible for the act of legislature which gave Pine Orchard a unique frame of government, and the result of his choice of a home is that where there were once a few scattered houses, there is now a closely knit community supplied with water, gas, electric and trolley facilities, to say nothing of well laid out streets, bordered by closely clipped hedges, which give it the appearance of an English village. Mr. Young keenly appreciated the beauties of nature and was never happier than when walking about his beautiful estate, which combined in so rare a degree the charm of shore, woods and hills.

On May 7, 1874, Mr. Young married Miss Ellen A. Shepardson, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Otis Shepardson, of Waterbury. Mr. and Mrs. Young became the parents of four daughters, Mrs. Milton J. Warner, Mrs. John H. Goss, Mrs. George M. Smith, and Mrs. Herbert D. Gallaudet.

Mr. Young died very suddenly, in New York, on December 3, 1911, and is buried in Waterbury.

To sum up the life of such a man in a few words is impossible. His vision of the future and his driving energy brought to this community the results of inventions and improvements many years before they might have been normally expected. A man of rare charm, he was a stanch friend, never an enemy, a loving husband and an indulgent father, and a man whose passing left a void in both family and community.