Abraham Yates Jr.: Difference between revisions

Abraham Yates Jr.
Abraham Yates Jr.
Mayor of Albany, New York
	In office; 1790 – June 30, 1796
Preceded by	John Lansing Jr.
Succeeded by	Abraham Ten Broeck
Member of the New York State Senate from the Western District
	In office; September 9, 1777 – June 30, 1790
Preceded by	Inaugural holder
Succeeded by	Stephen Van Rensselaer
Personal details
Born	August 23, 1724; Albany, Province of New York, British America
Died	June 30, 1796 (aged 71); Albany, New York, United States
Political party	Anti-Federalist
Spouse	Antje De Ridder (m. 1746; died 1765)
Relations	Robert Yates (nephew); Peter Waldron Yates (nephew); Gerrit Y. Lansing (grandson)
Children	5
Occupation	Lawyer, politician

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Abraham Yates Jr. (August 23, 1724 – June 30, 1796) was an American lawyer, civil servant, and pamphleteer from Albany, New York.^[1]

Early life[edit]

Yates was born on August 23, 1724, in Albany, New York.^[2] He was the ninth child born to Christoffel Yates, a prosperous farmer and blacksmith, and Catelyntje Winne.^[3] His siblings included Joseph Yates, a merchant, and John G. Yates, a blacksmith.^[4]

His paternal grandparents were Joseph Yates and Albany native Huybertie (née Marselis) Yates.^[5] His nephew Robert Yates represented New York at the Philadelphia Convention.^[6] Another nephew was Continental Congressman Peter Waldron Yates.^[1]

Career[edit]

After completing preparatory school, Yates was apprenticed to a shoemaker,^[7] which later led his political foes to call him a "crude cobbler"^[8] and Philip Schuyler to deride him as the "late cobbler of laws and old shoes".^[9] An ambitious man, he went on to become a surveyor, investing in land, and then studied law with Peter Silvester, setting up a successful law practice. Eventually, Yates was appointed the Sheriff of Albany, serving from 1754 until 1759 under the agency of Robert Livingston Jr.^[3]

From 1754 until 1773, he was elected and served on the Albany City Council where he was closely associated with the populist George Clinton (who eventually became the Vice President of the United States).^[8] Yates' election was notable as the council was generally made up of wealthy merchants and he was the sole lawyer among the group, and was known for his attacks against the patrician landowners of the era and support for small farmers.^[8] He was also known to be a forceful opponent of British oppression.^[8]

From 1774 to 1776, he was the chairman of the Albany Committee of Correspondence. Yates was also a member of the New York Provincial Congress from 1775 to 1777, serving as president pro tempore on November 2, 1775, August 10, 1776,^[1] and was its chairman in 1776 and 1777.^[10]

Yates was a delegate for New York to the Congress of the Confederation in 1787 and 1788,^[1] and won a reputation as a "churlish delegate who often cast the only 'nay'" vote.^[9] Yates was the solitary vote against the Northwest Ordinance for its gross violation of Native American rights. He argued against "the seizing on countries already peopled, and driving out or massacring the innocent and defenceless natives, merely because they differed from their invaders in language, religion, in customs, in government or in colour."^[11] He was also a member of the Council of Appointment in 1777–78 and again in 1784.^[8]

New York State Senate[edit]

Commencing on September 9, 1777, Yates was a member of the 1st New York State Legislature, having been elected to represent one of six seats for the Western District, which consisted of Albany and Tryon counties.^[12] He was re-elected several times and served thirteen consecutive sessions in the Senate until he declined re-election following his refusal to sign an oath to the U.S. Constitution.^[13] He was succeeded by Stephen Van Rensselaer.^[12] By the end of his time in the Senate, the Western District consisted of Albany, Columbia^[14] and Montgomery counties.^[12]

Yates, along with his fellow Anti-Federalist nephew Robert, with whom he shared the pen-name the "Rough Hewer", was a prolific pamphleteer. He was known for his strong Anti-Federalist writings around the encroachment of Federal powers over New York state affairs and his opposition to the ratification of the Constitution.^[15] Both Yates were prominent opponents of the nationalist Federalist Alexander Hamilton.^[9]

Mayor of Albany[edit]

Following his retirement from the State Senate, Yates old friend and the then New York Governor George Clinton appointed him as the mayor of Albany in 1790, a role he served in until his death in 1796.^[16] As mayor, Yates opposed and was a vocal critic of the Federalist John Jay (who succeeded Clinton as Governor and appointed Stephen Van Rensselaer as his Lt. Governor) following the Jay Treaty, which was a 1795 treaty between the U.S. and Great Britain which purportedly averted war between the countries and resolved issues remaining since the Treaty of Paris of 1783 (which ended the American Revolutionary War). The opposition led to the formation of the anti-Treaty Democratic Republican party in New York.^[8] During his term, oil street lamps were installed in Albany.^[17]

Yates was a presidential elector in 1792, and cast his votes for George Washington and George Clinton. In 1795, Yates was also a founding trustee of Union College.^[18]^[19]

Personal life[edit]

In 1746, Yates was married to Antje De Ridder (1726–1795), the daughter of Cornelis De Ridder and Susanna (née Vandenbergh) De Ridder. Together, they were the parents of five children, Christoffel, another Christoffel, Tanneke, Cornelis, only one of whom survived to adulthood:^[6]

Susanna Yates (1762–1840), who married New York State Treasurer Abraham G. Lansing, the brother of Chancellor John Lansing Jr. They lived in a house built by his Yates at what became 358 North Market Street in Albany.^[6]

Yates died in Albany on June 30, 1796,^[20] and was buried at Albany Rural Cemetery.^[1]

Descendants[edit]

Through his only surviving child Susanna, he was the grandfather of fourteen, including:^[21] Jannetje, who died unmarried;^[21] Abraham, who died young;^[21] Gerrit Yates, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives who married Helen Ten Eyck (daughter of Abraham Ten Eyck);^[21] Cornelius De Ridder;^[21] John, who died unmarried;^[21] Antje, who died young;^[21] Sanders Jr., who married Angelica Schuyler;^[21] Christopher Yates, who married Caroline Mary Thomas;^[22] Anna, who married Rev. Walter Monteath;^[21] Sarah B., who died unmarried;^[21] Susan, who married Peter Gansevoort;^[21] Barent Bleecker, who married Philanda Orcutt;^[21] George, married Harriet Schermerhorn (daughter of John F. Schermerhorn).^[21] and Abraham Yates, who married Eliza Van Alstyne.^[21]

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Yates, Abraham – Biographical Information". bioguide.congress.gov. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
^ Dodge, Andrew R.; Koed, Betty K.; et al. (United States Congress) (2005). Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774–2005. Government Printing Office. p. 2208. ISBN 978-0160731761.
^ ^a ^b Shorto, Russell (Summer 2016). "The Sheriff of Albany County | With a lively resentment toward authority, Abraham Yates Jr. was Colonial Albany's everyman" (PDF). New York Archives: 12–15. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 3, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
^ "Avalon Project – Notes of the Secret Debates of the Federal Convention of 1787, Taken by the Late Hon Robert Yates, Chief Justice of the State of New York, and One of the Delegates from That State to the Said Convention". avalon.law.yale.edu. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
^ Bielinski, Stefan. "Christoffel Yates". exhibitions.nysm.nysed.gov. New York State Museum. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
^ ^a ^b ^c Bielinski, Stefan. "Abraham Yates Jr". exhibitions.nysm.nysed.gov. New York State Museum. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
^ Gordon S. Wood, Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789–1815 (New York: Oxford University Press, 2009), p. 17
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Wakelyn, Jon L. (2004). Birth of the Bill of Rights: Biographies. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 237. ISBN 978-0313331947. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
^ ^a ^b ^c Young, Alfred F. (2012). The Democratic Republicans of New York: The Origins, 1763–1797. UNC Press Books. p. 44. ISBN 978-0807838204. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
^ "Abraham Yates Jr. papers". archives.nypl.org. Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library. Archived from the original on July 25, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
^ Alexander, Robert (2017). The Northwest Ordinance: Constitutional Politics and the Theft of Native Land. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 148. ISBN 978-1476627618.
^ ^a ^b ^c Hough, Franklin Benjamin (1858). The New York Civil List: Containing the names and origin of the civil divisions, and the names and dates of election or appointment of the principal state and county officers from the Revolution to the present time. Weed, Parsons and Co. pp. 48–52, 108, 110, 114. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
^ Siemers, David J. (2004). Ratifying the Republic: Antifederalists and Federalists in Constitutional Time. Stanford University Press. pp. 37–38. ISBN 978-0804751032. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
^ The Civil List of 1858 places Columbia Co. in the Eastern D. but this is contradicted by Schechter (p. 181). Columbia was partitioned from Albany, and no senatorial re-apportionment being made must have remained in the Western D., it was transferred to the Eastern D. only in 1791.
^ Kauffman, Bill (2014). Forgotten Founder, Drunken Prophet: The Life of Martin Luther. Open Road Media. p. 28. ISBN 978-1497635753. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
^ Young, Alfred F. (2012). The Democratic Republicans of New York: The Origins, 1763–1797. UNC Press Books. p. 166. ISBN 9780807838204. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
^ Reynolds, Cuyler (1906). Albany Chronicles: A History of the City Arranged Chronologically, from the Earliest Settlement to the Present Time; Illustrated with Many Historical Pictures of Rarity and Reproductions of the Robert C. Pruyn Collection of the Mayors of Albany, Owned by the Albany Institute and Historical and Art Society. J. B. Lyon Company, printers. p. 269. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
^ Union College (Schenectady, NY); Pearson, Jonathan (1854). A General Catalogue of the Officers, Graduates and Students of Union College from 1795 to 1854. S. S. Riggs. p. 6. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
^ Howell, George Rogers (1886). Bi-Centennial History of Albany: History of the County of Albany, N.Y., from 1609 to 1886. W. W. Munsell & Company. p. 679. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
^ Bielinski, Stefan. "Abraham Yates Jr". www.nysm.nysed.gov. New York State Museum. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ Reynolds, Cuyler; Sullivan, Robert G. (1911). Hudson-Mohawk Genealogical and Family Memoirs | Vol. I | Lansing. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company. pp. 72–74. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
^ Talcott, Sebastian V. (2001). Genealogical Notes Of New York And New England Families. Heritage Books. ISBN 978-0788419560. Retrieved September 6, 2017.

External links[edit]

United States Congress. "Abraham Yates Jr. (id: Y000008)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
Abraham Yates Jr. at Find a Grave
Abraham Yates Jr. Papers at the New York Public Library
Wondery's podcast episode "The Populist" cover's Yates in detail. From American History Tellers, series Revolution.

[AYJrbioguide-1] "Yates, Abraham – Biographical Information". bioguide.congress.gov. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved August 2, 2018.

[2] Dodge, Andrew R.; Koed, Betty K.; et al. (United States Congress) (2005). Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774–2005. Government Printing Office. p. 2208. ISBN 978-0160731761.

[Shorto2016-3] Shorto, Russell (Summer 2016). "The Sheriff of Albany County | With a lively resentment toward authority, Abraham Yates Jr. was Colonial Albany's everyman" (PDF). New York Archives: 12–15. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 3, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.

[yale-4] "Avalon Project – Notes of the Secret Debates of the Federal Convention of 1787, Taken by the Late Hon Robert Yates, Chief Justice of the State of New York, and One of the Delegates from That State to the Said Convention". avalon.law.yale.edu. Retrieved August 2, 2018.

[CYnysm-5] Bielinski, Stefan. "Christoffel Yates". exhibitions.nysm.nysed.gov. New York State Museum. Retrieved August 2, 2018.

[Bielinski-6] Bielinski, Stefan. "Abraham Yates Jr". exhibitions.nysm.nysed.gov. New York State Museum. Retrieved August 2, 2018.

[7] Gordon S. Wood, Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789–1815 (New York: Oxford University Press, 2009), p. 17

[Wakelyn2004-8] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Wakelyn, Jon L. (2004). Birth of the Bill of Rights: Biographies. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 237. ISBN 978-0313331947. Retrieved August 2, 2018.

[Young2012-9] Young, Alfred F. (2012). The Democratic Republicans of New York: The Origins, 1763–1797. UNC Press Books. p. 44. ISBN 978-0807838204. Retrieved August 2, 2018.

[nypl-10] "Abraham Yates Jr. papers". archives.nypl.org. Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library. Archived from the original on July 25, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.

[11] Alexander, Robert (2017). The Northwest Ordinance: Constitutional Politics and the Theft of Native Land. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 148. ISBN 978-1476627618.

[Hough1858-12] Hough, Franklin Benjamin (1858). The New York Civil List: Containing the names and origin of the civil divisions, and the names and dates of election or appointment of the principal state and county officers from the Revolution to the present time. Weed, Parsons and Co. pp. 48–52, 108, 110, 114. Retrieved August 2, 2018.

[Siemers2004-13] Siemers, David J. (2004). Ratifying the Republic: Antifederalists and Federalists in Constitutional Time. Stanford University Press. pp. 37–38. ISBN 978-0804751032. Retrieved August 2, 2018.

[14] The Civil List of 1858 places Columbia Co. in the Eastern D. but this is contradicted by Schechter (p. 181). Columbia was partitioned from Albany, and no senatorial re-apportionment being made must have remained in the Western D., it was transferred to the Eastern D. only in 1791.

[Kauffman2014-15] Kauffman, Bill (2014). Forgotten Founder, Drunken Prophet: The Life of Martin Luther. Open Road Media. p. 28. ISBN 978-1497635753. Retrieved August 2, 2018.

[DemoRepub2012-16] Young, Alfred F. (2012). The Democratic Republicans of New York: The Origins, 1763–1797. UNC Press Books. p. 166. ISBN 9780807838204. Retrieved August 2, 2018.

[Reynolds1906-17] Reynolds, Cuyler (1906). Albany Chronicles: A History of the City Arranged Chronologically, from the Earliest Settlement to the Present Time; Illustrated with Many Historical Pictures of Rarity and Reproductions of the Robert C. Pruyn Collection of the Mayors of Albany, Owned by the Albany Institute and Historical and Art Society. J. B. Lyon Company, printers. p. 269. Retrieved August 2, 2018.

[Union1854-18] Union College (Schenectady, NY); Pearson, Jonathan (1854). A General Catalogue of the Officers, Graduates and Students of Union College from 1795 to 1854. S. S. Riggs. p. 6. Retrieved August 2, 2018.

[Howell1886-19] Howell, George Rogers (1886). Bi-Centennial History of Albany: History of the County of Albany, N.Y., from 1609 to 1886. W. W. Munsell & Company. p. 679. Retrieved August 2, 2018.

[AYJrnysm-20] Bielinski, Stefan. "Abraham Yates Jr". www.nysm.nysed.gov. New York State Museum. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2018.

[Reynolds1911-21] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ Reynolds, Cuyler; Sullivan, Robert G. (1911). Hudson-Mohawk Genealogical and Family Memoirs | Vol. I | Lansing. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company. pp. 72–74. Retrieved September 6, 2017.

[Talcott2001-22] Talcott, Sebastian V. (2001). Genealogical Notes Of New York And New England Families. Heritage Books. ISBN 978-0788419560. Retrieved September 6, 2017.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|American lawyer, civil servant, and pamphleteer (1724–1796)}}
-{{Infobox person
+{{lead too short|date=August 2020}}
-| name        = Abraham Yates
+{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2020}}
-| image       = Abraham Yates.jpg
+{{Infobox officeholder
-| alt         = Abraham Yates
-| caption     = Abraham Yates
+| name          = Abraham Yates Jr.
+| image         = Abraham Yates.jpg
-| other_names =
+| office        = [[Mayor of Albany, New York]]
-| occupation  = American politician
+| term_start    = 1790
-| birth_place = Albany, New York
+| term_end      = June 30, 1796
-| death_place =
+| predecessor   = [[John Lansing Jr.]]
-| birth_date  = {{start-date|August 23, 1724|mf=yes}}
+| successor     = [[Abraham Ten Broeck]]
-| death_date  = {{Death-date and age|June 30, 1796|August 23, 1724|mf=yes}}
+| office1       = Member of the [[New York State Senate]] from the Western District
+| term_start1   = September 9, 1777
+| term_end1     = June 30, 1790
+| predecessor1  = ''Inaugural holder''
+| successor1    = [[Stephen Van Rensselaer]]
+| birth_date    = {{start-date|August 23, 1724}}
+| death_date    = {{Death-date and age|June 30, 1796|August 23, 1724}}
+| birth_place   = [[Albany, New York|Albany]], [[Province of New York]], [[British America]]
+| death_place   = Albany, [[New York (state)|New York]], [[United States]]
+| occupation    = Lawyer, politician
+| party         = [[Anti-Federalism|Anti-Federalist]]
+| spouse        = {{marriage|Antje De Ridder|1746|1765|reason=her death}}
+| children      = 5
+| relations     = [[Robert Yates (politician)|Robert Yates]] (nephew)<br>[[Peter Waldron Yates]] (nephew)<br>[[Gerrit Y. Lansing]] (grandson)
 }}
-'''Abraham Yates''' (August 23, 1724 – June 30, 1796) was an American lawyer and civil servant from [[Albany, New York]].
+'''Abraham Yates Jr.''' (August 23, 1724 – June 30, 1796) was an American lawyer, civil servant, and pamphleteer from [[Albany, New York]].<ref name="AYJrbioguide">{{cite web |title=Yates, Abraham – Biographical Information |url=https://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=Y000008 |website=bioguide.congress.gov |publisher=[[Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]] |accessdate=August 2, 2018}}</ref>
-==Biography==
+==Early life==
+Yates was born on August 23, 1724, in [[Albany, New York]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v9MBIctdjjkC&pg=PA2208|title=Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774–2005|last1=Dodge|first1=Andrew R.|last2=Koed|first2=Betty K.|collaboration=United States Congress|date=2005|publisher=Government Printing Office|isbn=978-0160731761|pages=2208|language=en}}</ref> He was the ninth child born to Christoffel Yates, a prosperous farmer and blacksmith, and Catelyntje Winne.<ref name="Shorto2016">{{cite journal|last1=Shorto|first1=Russell|date=Summer 2016|title=The Sheriff of Albany County {{!}} With a lively resentment toward authority, Abraham Yates Jr. was Colonial Albany's everyman|url=https://www.nysarchivestrust.org/application/files/7015/1934/0205/archivesmag_summer2016.pdf|url-status=dead|journal=New York Archives|pages=12–15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180803014319/https://www.nysarchivestrust.org/application/files/7015/1934/0205/archivesmag_summer2016.pdf|archive-date=August 3, 2018|accessdate=August 2, 2018}}</ref>  His siblings included Joseph Yates, a merchant, and John G. Yates, a blacksmith.<ref name="yale">{{cite web |title=Avalon Project – Notes of the Secret Debates of the Federal Convention of 1787, Taken by the Late Hon Robert Yates, Chief Justice of the State of New York, and One of the Delegates from That State to the Said Convention |url=https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/yates.asp |website=avalon.law.yale.edu |accessdate=August 2, 2018}}</ref>
-He was baptised August 23, 1724 in [[Albany, New York]], the son of Christoffel Yates and Catelyntje Winne.
+His paternal grandparents were Joseph Yates and Albany native Huybertie ([[née]] Marselis) Yates.<ref name="CYnysm">{{cite web |last1=Bielinski |first1=Stefan |title=Christoffel Yates |url=http://exhibitions.nysm.nysed.gov//albany/bios/y/chyates4407.html |website=exhibitions.nysm.nysed.gov |publisher=[[New York State Museum]] |accessdate=August 2, 2018}}</ref>  His nephew [[Robert Yates (politician)|Robert Yates]] represented New York at the [[Philadelphia Convention]].<ref name="Bielinski">{{cite web |last1=Bielinski |first1=Stefan |title=Abraham Yates Jr. |url=https://exhibitions.nysm.nysed.gov//albany/bios/y/abyates1.html |website=exhibitions.nysm.nysed.gov |publisher=[[New York State Museum]] |accessdate=August 2, 2018}}</ref>  Another nephew was [[Continental Congress]]man [[Peter Waldron Yates]].<ref name="AYJrbioguide"/>
-Besides being a lawyer, Yates was also a shoemaker by trade.<ref>Gordon S. Wood, ''Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789-1815'' (New York: Oxford University Press, 2009), p. 17</ref> He was the chairman of the Albany [[Committee of Correspondence]] from 1774 to 1776. Yates was also a member of the [[New York Provincial Congress]] from 1775 to 1777 and was its chairman in 1776 and 1777.
+==Career==
-He was a delegate for [[New York]] to the [[Congress of the Confederation]] in 1787 and 1788 as well as a New York State Senator from 1777 to 1790, and a member of the [[Council of Appointment]] in 1777-78 and 1784.
+After completing preparatory school, Yates was apprenticed to a shoemaker,<ref>Gordon S. Wood, ''Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789–1815'' (New York: Oxford University Press, 2009), p. 17</ref> which later led his political foes to call him a "crude cobbler"<ref name="Wakelyn2004"/> and [[Philip Schuyler]] to deride him as the "late cobbler of laws and old shoes".<ref name="Young2012"/>  An ambitious man, he went on to become a surveyor, investing in land, and then studied law with [[Peter Silvester (1734–1808)|Peter Silvester]], setting up a successful law practice. Eventually, Yates was appointed the [[Sheriff of Albany County, New York|Sheriff of Albany]], serving from 1754 until 1759 under the agency of [[Robert Livingston (1718–1775)|Robert Livingston Jr]].<ref name="Shorto2016"/>
+From 1754 until 1773, he was elected and served on the Albany City Council where he was closely associated with the populist [[George Clinton (vice president)|George Clinton]] (who eventually became the [[Vice President of the United States]]).<ref name="Wakelyn2004"/>  Yates' election was notable as the council was generally made up of wealthy merchants and he was the sole lawyer among the group, and was known for his attacks against the patrician landowners of the era and support for small farmers.<ref name="Wakelyn2004"/>  He was also known to be a forceful opponent of British oppression.<ref name="Wakelyn2004">{{cite book |last1=Wakelyn |first1=Jon L. |title=Birth of the Bill of Rights: Biographies |date=2004 |publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group]] |isbn=978-0313331947 |page=237 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wpXzqmjp5IYC&pg=PA237 |accessdate=August 2, 2018 |language=en}}</ref>
-Yates was a [[presidential elector]] in [[United States presidential election, 1792|1792]], and cast his votes for [[George Washington]] and [[George Clinton (vice president)|George Clinton]].
+From 1774 to 1776, he was the chairman of the Albany [[Committee of Correspondence]]. Yates was also a member of the [[New York Provincial Congress]] from 1775 to 1777, serving as [[president pro tempore]] on November 2, 1775, August 10, 1776,<ref name="AYJrbioguide"/> and was its chairman in 1776 and 1777.<ref name="nypl">{{cite web |title=Abraham Yates Jr. papers |url=https://archives.nypl.org/mss/3405 |website=archives.nypl.org |publisher=[[New York Public Library|Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library]] |accessdate=August 2, 2018 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180725183828/http://archives.nypl.org/mss/3405 |archive-date=July 25, 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
-He died June 30, 1796. I just hit a stain Faneto
+Yates was a delegate for [[New York (state)|New York]] to the [[Congress of the Confederation]] in 1787 and 1788,<ref name="AYJrbioguide"/> and won a reputation as a "churlish delegate who often cast the only 'nay'" vote.<ref name="Young2012"/> Yates was the solitary vote against the Northwest Ordinance for its gross violation of Native American rights. He argued against "the seizing on countries already peopled, and driving out or massacring the innocent and defenceless natives, merely because they differed from their invaders in language, religion, in customs, in government or in colour."<ref>{{Cite book|last=Alexander|first=Robert|title=The Northwest Ordinance: Constitutional Politics and the Theft of Native Land|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers|year=2017|isbn=978-1476627618|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|pages=148}}</ref> He was also a member of the [[Council of Appointment]] in 1777–78 and again in 1784.<ref name="Wakelyn2004"/>
-==Legacy==
-His son-in-law was State Treasurer [[Abraham G. Lansing]], who was the brother of Chancellor [[John Lansing, Jr.]]. His nephew, [[Robert Yates (politician)|Robert Yates]], represented New York at the [[Philadelphia Convention]] in 1787, alongside John Lansing, Jr. and [[Alexander Hamilton]].
+===New York State Senate===
-==Notes==
+Commencing on September 9, 1777, Yates was a member of the [[1st New York State Legislature]], having been elected to represent one of six seats for the Western District, which consisted of [[Albany County, New York|Albany]] and [[Tryon County, New York|Tryon]] counties.<ref name="Hough1858"/>  He was re-elected several times and served thirteen consecutive sessions in the Senate until he declined re-election following his refusal to sign an oath to the [[U.S. Constitution]].<ref name="Siemers2004">{{cite book |last1=Siemers |first1=David J. |title=Ratifying the Republic: Antifederalists and Federalists in Constitutional Time |date=2004 |publisher=[[Stanford University Press]] |isbn=978-0804751032 |pages=37–38 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m0v24BY8sEkC&pg=PA38 |accessdate=August 2, 2018 |language=en}}</ref> He was succeeded by [[Stephen Van Rensselaer]].<ref name="Hough1858">{{cite book |last1=Hough |first1=Franklin Benjamin |title=The New York Civil List: Containing the names and origin of the civil divisions, and the names and dates of election or appointment of the principal state and county officers from the Revolution to the present time |date=1858 |publisher=Weed, Parsons and Co. |pages=[https://archive.org/details/newyorkcivillis00houggoog/page/n74 48]–52, 108, 110, 114 |url=https://archive.org/details/newyorkcivillis00houggoog |accessdate=August 2, 2018 |language=en}}</ref>  By the end of his time in the Senate, the Western District consisted of Albany, [[Columbia County, New York|Columbia]]<ref>The ''Civil List'' of 1858 places Columbia Co. in the Eastern D. but this is contradicted by Schechter (p. 181). Columbia was partitioned from Albany, and no senatorial re-apportionment being made must have remained in the Western D., it was transferred to the Eastern D. only in 1791.</ref> and [[Montgomery County, New York|Montgomery]] counties.<ref name="Hough1858"/>
-<references/>
+Yates, along with his fellow [[Anti-Federalism|Anti-Federalist]] nephew [[Robert Yates (politician)|Robert]], with whom he shared the pen-name the "Rough Hewer", was a prolific [[pamphleteer]].  He was known for his strong Anti-Federalist writings around the encroachment of Federal powers over New York state affairs and his opposition to the [[Timeline of drafting and ratification of the United States Constitution|ratification of the Constitution]].<ref name="Kauffman2014">{{cite book |last1=Kauffman |first1=Bill |title=Forgotten Founder, Drunken Prophet: The Life of Martin Luther |date=2014 |publisher=Open Road Media |isbn=978-1497635753 |page=28 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R0tcAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT28 |accessdate=August 2, 2018 |language=en}}</ref>  Both Yates were prominent opponents of the nationalist [[Federalist party (United States)|Federalist]] [[Alexander Hamilton]].<ref name="Young2012">{{cite book |last1=Young |first1=Alfred F. |title=The Democratic Republicans of New York: The Origins, 1763–1797 |date=2012 |publisher=[[UNC Press Books]] |isbn=978-0807838204 |page=44 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vi3qCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA44 |accessdate=August 2, 2018 |language=en}}</ref>
+===Mayor of Albany===
+Following his retirement from the State Senate, Yates old friend and the then New York Governor [[George Clinton (vice president)|George Clinton]] appointed him as the mayor of Albany in 1790, a role he served in until his death in 1796.<ref name="DemoRepub2012">{{cite book |last1=Young |first1=Alfred F. |title=The Democratic Republicans of New York: The Origins, 1763–1797 |date=2012 |publisher=[[UNC Press Books]] |isbn=9780807838204 |page=166 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vi3qCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA166 |accessdate=August 2, 2018 |language=en}}</ref>  As mayor, Yates opposed and was a vocal critic of the Federalist [[John Jay]] (who succeeded Clinton as Governor and appointed Stephen Van Rensselaer as his Lt. Governor) following the [[Jay Treaty]], which was a 1795 treaty between the U.S. and Great Britain which purportedly averted war between the countries and resolved issues remaining since the [[Treaty of Paris of 1783]] (which ended the [[American Revolutionary War]]). The opposition led to the formation of the anti-Treaty Democratic Republican party in New York.<ref name="Wakelyn2004"/> During his term, oil street lamps were installed in Albany.<ref name="Reynolds1906">{{cite book |last1=Reynolds |first1=Cuyler |title=Albany Chronicles: A History of the City Arranged Chronologically, from the Earliest Settlement to the Present Time; Illustrated with Many Historical Pictures of Rarity and Reproductions of the Robert C. Pruyn Collection of the Mayors of Albany, Owned by the Albany Institute and Historical and Art Society |date=1906 |publisher=J. B. Lyon Company, printers |page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_XNU0AAAAIAAJ/page/n413 269] |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_XNU0AAAAIAAJ |accessdate=August 2, 2018 |language=en}}</ref>
+Yates was a [[presidential elector]] in [[1792 United States presidential election|1792]], and cast his votes for [[George Washington]] and [[George Clinton (vice president)|George Clinton]].  In 1795, Yates was also a founding trustee of [[Union College]].<ref name="Union1854">{{cite book |last1=Union College (Schenectady, NY) |last2=Pearson |first2=Jonathan |title=A General Catalogue of the Officers, Graduates and Students of Union College from 1795 to 1854 |date=1854 |publisher=S. S. Riggs |page=6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4LJBAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA6 |accessdate=August 2, 2018 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Howell1886">{{cite book |last1=Howell |first1=George Rogers |title=Bi-Centennial History of Albany: History of the County of Albany, N.Y., from 1609 to 1886 |date=1886 |publisher=W. W. Munsell & Company |page=679 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nWkJAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA679 |accessdate=August 2, 2018 |language=en}}</ref>
+==Personal life==
+In 1746, Yates was married to Antje De Ridder (1726–1795), the daughter of Cornelis De Ridder and Susanna (née Vandenbergh) De Ridder.  Together, they were the parents of five children, Christoffel, another Christoffel, Tanneke, Cornelis, only one of whom survived to adulthood:<ref name="Bielinski"/>
+* Susanna Yates (1762–1840), who married [[New York State Treasurer]] [[Abraham G. Lansing]], the brother of Chancellor [[John Lansing Jr.]] They lived in a house built by his Yates at what became 358 North Market Street in Albany.<ref name="Bielinski"/>
+Yates died in Albany on June 30, 1796,<ref name="AYJrnysm">{{cite web |last1=Bielinski |first1=Stefan |title=Abraham Yates Jr. |url=https://www.nysm.nysed.gov/albany/bios/y/ayjranb.html |website=www.nysm.nysed.gov |publisher=[[New York State Museum]] |accessdate=August 2, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303212754/http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/albany/bios/y/ayjranb.html |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and was buried at [[Albany Rural Cemetery]].<ref name="AYJrbioguide"/>
+===Descendants===
+Through his only surviving child Susanna, he was the grandfather of fourteen, including:<ref name="Reynolds1911">{{cite book|last1=Reynolds|first1=Cuyler|last2=Sullivan|first2=Robert G.|title=Hudson-Mohawk Genealogical and Family Memoirs {{!}} Vol. I {{!}} Lansing|date=1911|publisher=Lewis Historical Publishing Company|location=New York|pages=72–74|url=http://www.schenectadyhistory.org/families/hmgfm/lansing-1.html|accessdate=September 6, 2017|language=en}}</ref> Jannetje, who died unmarried;<ref name="Reynolds1911"/> Abraham, who died young;<ref name="Reynolds1911"/> [[Gerrit Y. Lansing|Gerrit Yates]], a member of the [[U.S. House of Representatives]] who married Helen Ten Eyck (daughter of [[Ten Eyck family|Abraham Ten Eyck]]);<ref name="Reynolds1911"/> Cornelius De Ridder;<ref name="Reynolds1911"/> John, who died unmarried;<ref name="Reynolds1911"/> Antje, who died young;<ref name="Reynolds1911"/> Sanders Jr., who married Angelica Schuyler;<ref name="Reynolds1911"/> Christopher Yates, who married Caroline Mary Thomas;<ref name="Talcott2001">{{cite book|last1=Talcott|first1=Sebastian V.|title=Genealogical Notes Of New York And New England Families|date=2001|publisher=Heritage Books|isbn=978-0788419560|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WdwNExWb7_QC&pg=PA149|accessdate=September 6, 2017|language=en}}</ref> Anna, who married Rev. Walter Monteath;<ref name="Reynolds1911"/> Sarah B., who died unmarried;<ref name="Reynolds1911"/> Susan, who married [[Peter Gansevoort (state senator)|Peter Gansevoort]];<ref name="Reynolds1911"/> Barent Bleecker, who married Philanda Orcutt;<ref name="Reynolds1911"/> George, married Harriet Schermerhorn (daughter of [[John F. Schermerhorn]]).<ref name="Reynolds1911"/> and Abraham Yates, who married Eliza Van Alstyne.<ref name="Reynolds1911"/>
+==References==
+{{reflist}}
 ==External links==
-*{{CongBio|Y000008}}
+{{CongBio|Y000008}}
+* {{fg|7242632}}
-*[http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/albany/bios/y/ayjranb.html Yates's biography at New York State Museum]
+* [https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/collections/abraham-yates-jr-papers Abraham Yates Jr. Papers] at the [[New York Public Library]]
-*[http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7242632 Abraham Yates burial site]
+* [[Wondery]]'s podcast [https://art19.com/shows/american-history-tellers/episodes/609cb5c1-a943-4aa4-a630-bf7f02e2bc49 episode "The Populist"] cover's Yates in detail. From [[American History Tellers]], series Revolution.
 {{Authority control}}
-{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
-| NAME              = Yates, Abraham
-| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
-| SHORT DESCRIPTION = American politician
-| DATE OF BIRTH     = August 23, 1724
-| PLACE OF BIRTH    = Albany, New York
-| DATE OF DEATH     = June 30, 1796
-| PLACE OF DEATH    =
-}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Yates, Abraham}}
 [[Category:1724 births]]
 [[Category:1796 deaths]]
 [[Category:Members of the New York Provincial Congress]]
-[[Category:Continental Congressmen from New York]]
+[[Category:Continental Congressmen from New York (state)]]
-[[Category:New York State Senators]]
+[[Category:18th-century American politicians]]
-[[Category:United States presidential electors]]
+[[Category:New York (state) state senators]]
-[[Category:New York lawyers]]
+[[Category:1792 United States presidential electors]]
+[[Category:New York (state) lawyers]]

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