Yeaman was elected as a Unionist to the
Thirty-seventh Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of
James S. Jackson. He was reelected to the
Thirty-eighth Congress and served from December 1, 1862, to March 3, 1865. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1864 to the
Thirty-ninth Congress. He provided a critical vote for passing the
Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution abolishing slavery through the U.S. House of Representatives. Yeaman served as the
United States Minister to Denmark from 1865 to 1870. He resigned in 1870 and settled in
New York City. He then served as a lecturer on constitutional law at
Columbia College. He served as president of the Medico-Legal Society of New York. Yeaman died in
Jersey City, New Jersey, on February 23, 1908. He was interred in Hillside Cemetery,
Madison, New Jersey. Yeaman was a slave owner. ==In film==