John Barentse Yates

John Barentse Yates (February 1, 1784 – July 10, 1836) was an American lawyer, jurist, educator, and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from New York. He was born in Schenectady, New York, where he completed his early preparatory studies. Yates pursued higher education at Union College in his native city and was graduated in 1802, entering adulthood at a time when the early institutions of the United States were still taking shape.

After completing his collegiate education, Yates studied law and prepared for admission to the bar. He was admitted to the bar in 1805 and commenced the practice of law in Schenectady. His legal career developed alongside growing public responsibilities, and he became part of the professional class that supplied many of the early officeholders in New York State. During these years he established himself as an attorney of standing in his community.

Yates’s public service extended into military affairs during the War of 1812. He served under General Wade Hampton on the northern frontier, participating in the defense of the United States during its second conflict with Great Britain. In recognition of his service and capabilities, he was subsequently appointed aide-de-camp to Governor Daniel D. Tompkins of New York, a role that placed him in close contact with the state’s chief executive during a period of wartime mobilization and postwar adjustment.

Yates entered national politics as a member of the Democratic-Republican Party and was elected to the Fourteenth Congress, serving as a U.S. Representative from New York from March 4, 1815, to March 3, 1817. During his single term in the House of Representatives, he served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of State, overseeing fiscal matters related to that department in the immediate postwar period. He did not seek renomination in 1816, thereby concluding his brief but notable tenure in Congress. Like a number of early American officeholders, Yates was a slave owner, a fact that situates him within the broader and often contradictory social and political realities of his era.

In 1816, after leaving Congress, Yates moved from Schenectady to Chittenango, New York, in Madison County. There he continued his legal and civic activities and became involved in regional economic development. He aided in the construction of the Welland Canal, a major infrastructure project linking Lake Ontario and Lake Erie that significantly advanced commercial navigation and trade in the Great Lakes region and strengthened economic ties between the United States and British North America.

Yates also devoted himself to education and the judiciary in his later career. In Chittenango he founded the Yates Polytechnic Institute in 1825, reflecting his interest in advancing scientific and technical education at a time when such institutions were still relatively uncommon in the United States. His standing in the community and his legal background led to his appointment as first judge of the Madison County Court, a position he held from 1833 until his death. In this capacity he presided over local judicial matters and contributed to the administration of justice in the county.

In addition to his judicial duties, Yates returned to legislative service near the end of his life. He was a member of the New York State Assembly representing Madison County in 1836. While still in office, he died in Chittenango, New York, on July 10, 1836. John Barentse Yates was interred in Walnut Grove Cemetery, near Chittenango, New York, leaving behind a record of service that spanned law, military affairs, education, infrastructure development, and both state and national government.