The son of Henry Edward and Elizabeth Rutledge Young, Arthur Rutledge Young was a descendant of Edward Rutledge and Arthur Middleton. He was born at Sewanee, Tennessee, and graduated from the University of the South in 1896. He studied law for two years under his father, a former Judge Advocate General on the staff of General Robert E. Lee. He was admitted to the Bar in 1898 and was a partner of Hagood, Rivers and Young.
He married Nannie Conner, the daughter of General James Conner, C.S.A. He was prominent in many of Charleston’s leading clubs and societies and was also active in St. Michael’s church. Public spirited, he served on the State Board of Education, in both the South Carolina House and Senate, and was Assistant United States Attorney. A leader at the Charleston Bar, he served as the President of the South Carolina Bar Association in 1928.
He had an outgoing personality, an interest in people, and a great capacity for friendship.