Yates, John B. (John Barentse), 1784-1836

John B. (Barentse) Yates was born in Schenectady, New York on February 1, 1784. He graduated from Union College at Schenectady in 1802 where he studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1805. He practiced in Schenectady until the War of 1812, where he served under Gen. Wade Hampton on the northern frontier and was subsequently appointed aide-de-camp to Gov. Daniel D. Tompkins. In 1815 he was elected as a Republican to the Fourteenth Congress (1815-1817) where he served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of State.

In 1816 Yates became an early settler and one of the first lawyers in Chittenango, New York, where he was in large part responsible for the growth and development of the town. He opened a large store; built a plaster mill, an oil mill, and a woolen factory; carried on transportation business on the canal and promoted the development of a sidecut canal which connected Chittenango with the Erie Canal just north of the village; manufactured lime; and carried on various other occupations. He founded Yates Polytechnic Institute in 1824 (now occupied by the Union school, organized in 1871). He was a Madison County judge (1835-1836) and was elected to the State Assembly (1836) where he served until his death on July 10, 1836.

Yates is buried in Walnut Grove Cemetery, near Chittenango. The Yates House in Chittenango is named for him.

From the guide to the John B. Yates Deed Book, 1816-1828, (Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries)