Young was born in Hanover, N.H. in 1834, the son of Ira and Eliza Minot Adams Young. He was graduated from Dartmouth College in 1853. From 1853 to 1856 he taught Latin and Greek at Phillips Andover Academy; then in 1857 he became a professor of Mathematics, Natural Philosophy, and Astronomy at Western Reserve College. He left the college in 1866, when he became a professor of Natural Philosophy and Astronomy at Dartmouth College. In 1877 he accepted a professorship at Princeton University, where he remained until his retirement in 1905. Young was the author of several books, including The sun, A general astronomy, Elements of astronomy, Lessons in astronomy, and Manual of astronomy. He received several honorary degrees throughout his career and was named president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1883. He died in Hanover, N.H. in 1908.