Sheriff Joseph T. "Poss" Young

"Poss" Young kept books for several firms in Port Hudson after returning from the Civil War. He and his family then moved to the area known as The Plains, where he ran a store. His wife made shirts that were sold in the store.

He was elected Assessor of East Baton Rouge Parish and moved the family to Baton Rouge. After a number of years, he decided to retire, and the family moved back to The Plains.

However, after a few months he was back in politics. "Poss" served under every Louisiana governor from the time of Reconstruction to the administration of Richard Leche. Governor Henry Clay Warmouth, in 1872, appointed him the Justice of the Peace in the old 5th Ward. He was then appointed Assessor of the East Baton Rouge Parish, but he resigned to accept an appointment as the Commisioner of Agriculture. He then served two four-year terms as Clerk of Court to East Baton Rouge Parish. He served eight years as Sheriff of East Baton Rouge Parish (1896-1904). He then became the deputy Clerk of Court of the United States Federal Court, and resigned from that position to take a position on the Board of Control of the Louisiana State Penitentiary, under Governor Jared Y. Sanders. He was then with the Louisiana Pension Board and became chairman. "Poss" Young was in public office a total of 62 years.

He was a Mason, Past Grand Commander of the Knights of Templar of Louisiana, and a Major General of the United Confederate Veterans. When President Grover Cleveland was nominated for a second term, "Poss" was a delegate at the National Democratic Convention in Chicago.