Evening star., 1940-03-30
Confirmation
OF Young asD.C.
Head Due Soon
Stur's White House
Correspondent
Named by President

Appointment of John Russell
Young, for 20 years White House
correspondent of The Evening Star.
to be Commissioner of the District
OF Columbia was before the Senate
District Committee today, with its
approval and subsequent confirma-
ton by the Senate expected shortly.
Coming as complete surprise to
his newspaper colleagues on The
Star and at the White House, Mr..
Young's appointment was an
nounced by President Roosevelt in a
press conference late yesterday, pre-
cipitating an unprecedented burst
OF cheering and applause from
more than 100 correspondents
gathered for the first press con-
ference in 10 days.
Giving no advance warning of
what he had in mind. the Presi-
cent opened his conference by say
ing ne was within a few minutes
sending to the Senate a list of ap-
pointments. including several to the
foreign service. one as Assistant
Attorney General. and another to
the District ommissionership.
Qualifications Weighed.
The latter, he said. had given him
considerable difficulty because he
felt it necessary to find a nominee
of certain definite qualifications to
fill the place of Mr.. Allen.
First of these qualifications. Mr..
Roosevelt continued was that the
nominee should be a native of
Washington, second that he should
have about him the atmosphere of
scholarship and great learning and
third that he should have the fine
political bearing incumbent upon
the Office
After search. he went on, he had
found man who met all uualifica-
tions. With the assembled news
papermen becoming increasingly in
trigued as the Chief Executive drew
out the suspense, Mr.. Roosevelt said,
80 JohAiS WIN, lIdu St1tClbC "a
man who was the first white child
born in the District of Columbia
"a facetious reference to an ex-
preston denoting long experience at
the White House, and is now presi-
dent OF great institute of learn
ing" reference to the ~. Russell
Young School of Expression
His name, he said, is John Russell
Young.
Cheers Greet Announcement.
At this point the correspondents
broke into cheering. whistling and
handclapping. greeting An appoint
ment which was not only a surprise
to them, but to all of Mr.. Young's
colleagues on The Star.
The President then cautioned the
conference laughinglv that there
probably would be great difficulty
getting Senate confirmation and ap-
pointed each member of the press
present committee of one to see
that the Senate approves the selec-
ton.
With Mr.. Young standing directly
in front of him. in the front row
of correspondents. the President
spoke to him directly. saying he felt
the appointment richly deserved
Nominee Slightly Flustered.
Warning the nominee that some
day he would have to make a speech
in response to the appointment, Mr.,
Roosevelt suggested that it be done
right away.
Obviously slightly fiustered despite
his fame as An orator and his presi-
dency Of the j. Russell Young School
of Expression ian explanation of
which is contained in this article,
Mr.. Young thereupon promised to
do the best I can" He said he
hoped there was no political sig
nificance involved in the choice and
no rigidity about the terms of
/ service
Pointing out that he and Mr..
/ Young are about the same age, Mr..
| Roosevelt said he felt the veteran
newspaper correspondent should be-
gin his public life right away since
| he will be fairly old when the
question of third term comes up.
| Mr.. Young was born in Washing
ton April 2. 1882. a son of James
tSee YOUNG. Page ABB