William Douglas Young

Sir William Douglas Young KBE CMG (27 January 1859 – 1943) was a colonial administrator from British Columbia who was Governor of the Falkland Islands from 1915 to 1920.

William Young was born in the newly created Colony of British Columbia, where his father, William Alexander George Young (a paymaster and captain's secretary in the Royal Navy, attached to the British Northwest Boundary Commission) was the first Colonial Secretary. His mother was Cecilia Eliza Cowan Cameron, born in British Guiana; her stepfather, David Cameron was Chief Justice of the neighbouring Crown Colony of Vancouver Island, and her uncle James Douglas was the first Governor of British Columbia. William Young was educated at Charterhouse School, and entered the British Colonial civil service in 1877, aged 18.

In 1889, Young was appointed chief Clerk in the Government Secretary's Office, British Guiana, where his mother was born and grew up with his grandmother. In 1895 he became Assistant Colonial Secretary of Mauritius, where he was acting Colonial Secretary in 1896, 1897 and 1898. In 1901, he was appointed Commissioner of the Turks and Caicos Islands where he worked until 1905. He was Administrator of Dominica (part of the British Leeward Islands) in 1906 and was made CMG in the birthday honours list of November 1907.