Spencer Young

Sir Spencer Epping Young (19 November 2297 – 1 December 2348) was an Empheri politician and statesman that served as Prime Minister of Empherias between 2321 and 2324.

Young dropped out of school in 2315, just aged 17, to pursue an interest in politics. By his teachers, he was noted as very clumsy and unable to put words together well. He decided to join the Whig party's youth division to help his father, Bill Wright-Young. However, he met the then Prime Minister Isaac Campbell in 2316 and got along with him well. He became an MP in the 2316 general election.

Young was tutored and trained in Prime Ministerial duty by Campbell hoping for him to take the position once he resigned and retired.

Young became Prime Minister on 12 March 2321 following the resignation of Isaac Campbell. Taking on the role aged 23, he was still being mentored by Campbell who took on the position of Chairman of the Whig party. He appointed former Prime Minister Edgard Merigold as his Chancellor of the Exchequer. His time in office was marred in scandal and controversy as his political opponents exaggerated the clumsiness and forgetfulness of Young. He eventually got infected with influenza and resigned the role on 19 August 2324, giving the role back to Campbell.

Appointed as the Deputy Prime Minister from 2324 onwards, he stayed within the public eye and improved as a politician as he got older. He also turned more liberal and joined a faction of the party known as the Mellow Whigs which promoted liberalism within the party. Spencer Young moved positions on 4 January 2334 to become Chancellor of the Exchequer, succeeding Merigold. He maintained this role for a year until the election defeat in 2335.

Throughout the dissolution of the Whigs, Young was a founding member of the Liberal party (which had stem from the Mellow Whigs).

Young was appointed on 27 September 2338 to Rusbridge's cabinet on her electoral victory in the election to Chief Secretary of the Cabinet Office, However he became the Deputy Prime Minister once again on 8 January 2339.

With the death of Campbell and retirement of Merigold in 2344, Young was seen as the last great Evergreen Whig giant involved in politics.

Campbell was shot and killed in 2348, aged 51.

Personal life
Young never married but was in two long term relationships. First was with Ahitereiran-Empheri socialite Mari Latey which began following a state visit to Ahitereira in 2322, and ended likely in 2325. His second produced two children out of wedlock with Emmelie Campbell, daughter of Isaac Campbell's niece Emmy-Mae. They met while on holiday with Isaac Campbell himself in 2337. They remained together, but not married, until his death. His two children were Isaac and Emmy Young-Campbell.

Death and legacy
Whilst campaigning for the 2348 general election, the third in three years, Young was shot and killed in a duel on 1 December 2348, aged 51, following a speech he gave. Avid dueller in the past, he had long since retired, but was egged on to participate after a strong emotional speech. Fellow Liberal rival Vincent Pierre, who believed Young was tainting the movement and bringing down the party, challenged him to a duel following years of disagreement. As was tradition with Empheri duels, they would each use a sword and fencing techniques, and the duel commenced at 5:17pm. The duel got out of control as the two began arguing and they quickly moved from the public square to an alleyway nearby. However, unexpectedly and against fair play, Pierre pulled out a loaded gun and shot Young in the chest, which ended the duel immediately. Although the duel was unplanned, some small amount bystanders, members of public and organisers of the speech, were able to watch and quickly rushed to Young's aid. He was declared dead within 40 minutes, possibly from either bleeding out or a possible cardiac arrest, while Pierre was arrested by a local constable.