Full Name: Marguerite (or Margaret) Rafter Young
Birth:
3 February 1882, in Madelia, Minnesota
Law Study:
- LL.B., Valparaiso University, 1908
- “She stood very high in her classes while in this Department.” M. J. Bowman, Dean
Admission to Practice:
- Indiana, 1908
- Montana, 1910
Married:
Harry G. (Garfield) Young on 15 August 1902
Law Practice: Young & Young
- Her spouse/law partner was disbarred; see, In re Young, 77 Mont. 332, 250 P. 957 (1926). H.G. Young was reinstated on 17 November 1949.
Residence:
Forsyth, Montana
Death:
1 April 1954
12 June 1913 — Billings Gazette — “Marguerite Young Will Now Practice”
“Marguerite Young and her husband, H. G. Young of Joliet, were admitted to practice in the United States federal court yesterday before Judge George M. Bourquin.
Mrs. Young has the distinction of being the third woman in Montana to be allowed to such practice. The first was Mrs. Ella Knowles-Haskell of Glendive and the second was Miss Madeen of Missoula.”
10 February 1924 — Billings Gazette — “Forsyth Woman is Honored by Law Institute; Mrs. Margaret Young made life member of organization”
“Mrs. Margaret Young, attorney of this city, has been invited by the president of the American Law institute, the Hon. George W. Wickersham, former attorney general of the United States, to attend the second annual meeting of the institute to be held in Washington, D.C. February 23. He also informed her that she had been elected a life member. This honor came as a distinct surprise.
Membership Limited
The membership is composed of two classes of members — life members and official members. The official members are the members of the supreme court of the United States, the senior associate justices of the nine circuit courts of appeal, the chief justice of the highest courts of the several states, the president of the American Bar association, and a few other high officials. The life membership is also limited in number. . . .”
11 June 1926 — Great Falls Tribune — “Accuse Lawyer of Defrauding Forsyth Bank; Disbarment Proceedings Started against H. G. Young Over Alleged Transaction”
“Acting upon a complaint filed with the supreme court by R. D. Mountain, president of the American National bank of Forsyth, H. G. Young of the Forsyth law firm of Young & Young has been summoned to appear before the court on or before July 10, and to answer to the complaint and show cause why his certificate to practice law in Montana should not be revoked, why his name should not be stricken from the roll of attorneys of the state, and why he should not be forever disbarred from the practice of his profession in Montana.
In the complaint filed by the banker Mr. Young is charged with forgery and with the crime of obtaining money under false pretenses.
Both charges against the Forsyth lawyer emanate from one act. The complaint charges that on or about January 14, 1926, Young defrauded the American National bank of Forsyth of $85 by representing to the bank that his firm Young & Young, had made a deposit in that amount for which it had never obtained credit. At that time he presented a duplicate deposit slip for $85 purporting to show that he had deposited that sum August 19, 1925, which was not shown by the records of the bank.
At this time the account of Young & Young was overdrawn $84.39, and the bank allowed the credit of $85 whereupon Young drew his check for the balance of 61 cents and the sum was paid to him. The complaint charges that Young had never deposited the $85 claimed by him and because of his act he was guilty of the crime of obtaining money under false pretenses.
The complaint then proceeds, under a second specification, to charge Young with the crime of forgery. It is alleged that the $85 duplicate deposit slip presented Young bore the carbon impression of the signature of T. J. Wegener, cashier of the bank, but that this carbon sheet had been placed and at the time the slip upon which the carbon impression appeared was otherwise blank of entries representing any deposit, but that thereafter Young entered upon said slip the words ‘Currency $85’ and by this act was guilty of forgery.
Young, the accused,who with his wife constitute the law firm of Young & Young, was admitted to practice law in Montana on June 23, 1910.”
3 April 1954 — Independent Record — “Margaret Young is taken by Death; Was Known in City”
“Margaret Young, 74, prominent Forsyth attorney for many years, who was known to a wide circle of Helena residents, died Thursday in an Anaconda hospital following a long illness.
Kendrick funeral chapel in Anaconda forwarded the body today to Graceville, Minn., for funeral services and burial.
The wife of Harry G. Young, she was born in Madelia, Minn., Feb. 3, 1880. She was graduated from the University of Indiana school of Law [inaccurate — she received a Bachelor of Law from Valparaiso University in 1908] and admitted to the U.S. supreme court in 1928. She was a member of the American Bar association, uniform state law commission and society of political economy of Columbia university.
Mrs. Young was listed in ‘Who’s Who in America’ in 1932-33-34.
Surviving beside her husband are two sisters, Helen Nott of Wheaton, Minn., and Mary Bradbury of Wenatchee, Wash.”
3 April 1954 — Montana Standard — “Forsyth Attorney Called By Death”
“Anaconda — Funeral services will be conducted in Graceville, Minn., for Mrs. Margaret Young, 74, prominent Forsyth attorney who died in a local hospital.
Mrs. Young was the wife of Harry G. Young, civil engineer in Forsyth. She was born in Madelia, Minn., Feb 3, 1880, was graduated from the University of Minnesota and practiced law in Forsyth until illness forced her retirement four years ago. She had lived in Forsyth since 1914.
Mrs. Young was admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1928 and was a member of the American Bar Assn., Montana Bar Assn., Uniform State Law Commission and the Society of Political Economy at Columbia University.
In addition to her husband, she is survived by sisters, Helen Nott of Wheaton, Minn., and Mary Bradbury of Wenatchee, Wash.”
Montana's Early Women Lawyers: Trail-blazing, Big Sky Sisters-in-Law 