Frederick Yates (October 3, 1914 – October 9, 1971) was an American politician and lawyer. Born in

Malvern, Arkansas Malvern is a city in and the county seat of Hot Spring County, Arkansas, United States. Founded as a railroad stop at the eastern edge of the Ouachita Mountains, the community's history and economy have been tied to available agricultural and min ...

, Yates moved with his family to

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

in 1925. In 1932, Yates graduated from Northwestern High School. He received his bachelor's degree from

West Virginia State University West Virginia State University (WVSU) is a public historically black, land-grant university in Institute, West Virginia. Founded in 1891 as the West Virginia Colored Institute, it is one of the original 19 land-grant colleges and universities ...

in 1936 and his law degree from

Detroit College of Law The Michigan State University College of Law (Michigan State Law or MSU Law) is the law school of Michigan State University, a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan. Established in 1891 as the Detroit College of Law, it was the fi ...

. He practiced law in Detroit, Michigan. Yates worked as a playground supervisor for the Detroit Parks and Recreation Department and at the Ford Motor and US Rubber factories to help pay for his education. From 1955 until 1962, Yates served in the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 ...

and was a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

. He then served on the

Wayne County, Michigan Wayne County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of 2020, the United States Census placed its population at 1,793,561, making it the 19th-most populous county in the United States. The county seat is Detroit. The coun ...

Board of Commissioners from 1968 until his death in 1971. Yates died at the Wayne County Hospital, in Detroit, Michigan from a long illness.'Leading Black Politician, Fred Yates, Dies In Detroit,' Jet, November 11, 1971, vol. 41, no. 7, p. 18.

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External links

PoliticalGraveyard.com.-Frederick Yates
1914 births 1971 deaths People from Malvern, Arkansas Politicians from Detroit West Virginia State University alumni Detroit College of Law alumni Michigan lawyers African-American state legislators in Michigan County commissioners in Michigan Democratic Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century African-American politicians {{Michigan-politician-stub