Robert Yates (politician)

Robert Yates was born January 27, 1738, in Schenectady, New York, the oldest of twelve children of merchant Joseph Yates and Maria (née Dunbar) Yates. Among his large family was uncle Abraham Yates Jr., who served as mayor of Albany in the 1790s and cousin Peter Waldron Yates, who was a Continental Congressman and New York State Assemblyman. His paternal grandparents were Christoffel Yates, a prosperous farmer and blacksmith, and (née Winne) Yates. He learned the craft of the surveyor and then decided to pursue a career in law. After clerking for William Livingston in New York City, in 1760 he was licensed to practice on his own. ==Career==

Surveying supplemented Yates' attorney's income as he made a number of important land maps during the 1760s. He drew the first civilian map of Albany in 1770. He also relied on patronage from the Albany Corporation through his uncle, alderman Abraham Yates Jr. In 1771, he was elected to the Common Council as an alderman for the second ward. In those years he served on a number of committees, provided legal advice, and stepped forward to compile and issue the first published version of the "Laws and Ordinances of the City of Albany" in 1773. In December 1787, Yates and John Lansing wrote a letter to Governor Clinton urging opposition to the new Constitution. Yates's personal notes from the Philadelphia convention were published in 1821. After the Poughkeepsie Convention ratified the Constitution with an accompanying request for amendments to protect individual liberties, Yates pledged his support as a matter of patriotic duty. In 1789, he ran for governor against George Clinton with the support of the Anti-Federalists, who viewed him as a reasonable, potentially kindred spirit who was not from a wealthy family. He was defeated by Governor Clinton. Approached by the Federalists again in 1792, Yates refused to run citing the financial drain caused by past politicking. In the gubernatorial campaign of 1795, considerable sentiment existed for Yates's candidacy as he was firmly established in the center of the former Anti-Federal party. John Jay defeated him in a close election, effectively ending Yates's political career. By then, he already had devoted himself to the law. In September 1790, Yates was chosen Chief Justice of the New York State Supreme Court. He served until the mandatory retirement age of sixty in 1798. Unlike many "new men of the Revolution," he did not attain great wealth and retired to his middling Albany home. ==Personal life==

In 1765, he married Jannatte "Jane" Van Ness (1741–1818) and settled in Albany, New York. Jane was a sister of Judge Peter Van Ness of Kinderhook. Among her extended family was nephews John Peter Van Ness, William P. Van Ness, and Cornelius P. Van Ness. The couple had six children, including: • John Van Ness Yates (1779–1839), who served as the Secretary of State of New York from 1818 to 1826. He died in Albany, New York, on September 9, 1801, at age 63. He was originally buried at St. Peter's Cemetery, and later reinterred at Albany Rural Cemetery. ==Notes==