Abraham Yates Jr. (August 23, 1724 – June 30, 1796) was an American lawyer, civil servant, and pamphleteer from Albany, New York.
Early life
Yates was born on August 23, 1724, in Albany, New York. He was the ninth child born to Christoffel Yates, a prosperous farmer and blacksmith, and Catelyntje Winne. His siblings included Joseph Yates, a merchant, and John G. Yates, a blacksmith.
His paternal grandparents were Joseph Yates and Albany native Huybertie (née Marselis) Yates. His nephew Robert Yates represented New York at the Philadelphia Convention. Another nephew was Continental Congressman Peter Waldron Yates. which later led his political foes to call him a "crude cobbler"
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,
Yates was a delegate for New York to the Congress of the Confederation in 1787 and 1788, He was also a member of the Council of Appointment in 1777–78 and again in 1784. He was succeeded by Stephen Van Rensselaer. By the end of his time in the Senate, the Western District consisted of Albany, Columbia and Montgomery counties. Both Yates were prominent opponents of the nationalist Federalist Alexander Hamilton.
Mayor of Albany
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. 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.
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.
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: and was buried at Albany Rural Cemetery. Jannetje, who died unmarried; Anna, who married Rev. Walter Monteath;