James Webb Young was one of the greatest copywriters ever employed by J. Walter Thompson, but to think of him solely as a copywriter does him a great injustice. Young was a great visionary with the clarity to not only see, but understand how the intricate webs of advertising interlock and function.
James Webb Young was a true Advertising Man.
James Webb Young, Jim Young as he was known in the industry, seems to have lived and breathed advertising. There is an extensive collection of professional resources available, but very little on the personal life of Jim Young. Most of the intimate glimpses into his life come out of the personal stories that he shares in his published works.
From The Diary of an Ad Man we learn that Jim Young enjoyed his quiet life on his Apple Ranch, the Bar None (the brand can be see in the Diary page in the map below), but he also enjoyed the work-a-day life of the big city advertising agencies (1944). Jim Young was content on his ranch in Pena Blanca, New Mexico where he and his son, Webb Young, sold handwoven ties under the name "Webb Young, Trader" made by Indians in nearby mountains (Young, 1944). This is the only real picture of Jim Young's personal life that we are granted. If it weren't for George Crain urging Young to write a weekly installment for Advertising Age, we wouldn't even have this (Young 1944). The rest is pieced together from anecdotes in lectures and stories from other advertising giants.
The best place to start examining the life of James Webb Young is by piecing together the timeline of his life. This information
comes from the inside covers of Young's 1944 edition of The Diary of an Ad Man,
the JWT Archives at Duke U
niversity, and JWT:
To see more of how James Webb Young contributed to the advertising industry, select one of the areas from the image map below.
Click on the top center photo of JWY to see the introduction to this site.
The AAF Hall of Fame announcement shows how JWY influenced the industry and what his peers thought of him.
Neckties are just a few things sold by JWY; click to see some of the other work he produced.
Take a peek at the Diary that JWY kept and experience a bit of his wit and insight.
Visit JWY at his desk to find out how you too could become an Advertising Man.
Grab the latest issue of the Editor and Publisher to find out a bit about me, the editor and publisher, as well as the many places you can find more information on JWY.
Return to the list of practitioners.