Jesse Johnson Yeates (May 29, 1829 – September 5, 1892) was a Democratic

U.S. Congressman The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

between 1875 and 1881.

Life and career

Jesse Yeates grave - Glenwood Cemetery - 2014-09-19

Born in

Hertford County, North Carolina Hertford County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,552. Its county seat is Winton. It is classified within the region known in the 21st century as the Inner Banks. History H ...

, near

Murfreesboro Murfreesboro is a city in and county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 152,769 according to the 2020 census, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010. Murfreesboro is located in the Nashville metropol ...

, Yeates attended private schools and then

Emory and Henry College Emory & Henry College (E&H or Emory) is a private liberal arts college in Emory, Virginia. The campus comprises of Washington County, which is part of the Appalachian highlands of Southwest Virginia. Founded in 1836, Emory & Henry College is ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1855, practicing law in Murfreesboro. He became the prosecuting attorney of Hertford County in 1855, serving until 1860, when he was named solicitor of the first judicial district. Also in 1860, Yeates was elected to a term in the

North Carolina House of Commons The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the North Ca ...

, serving for two years. He was a major in the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

and was a member of the council of Governor Jonathan Worth. Named by Governor

William Woods Holden William Woods Holden (November 24, 1818 – March 1, 1892) was an American politician who served as the List of Governors of North Carolina, 38th and 40th governor of North Carolina. He was appointed by President of the United States, President ...

as judge of the first judicial district of North Carolina in 1868, Yeates declined the appointment, but remained active in politics. He was a delegate to the 1871 Democratic State Convention and the state Constitutional Convention that same year. In 1874, Yeates was elected to the U.S. House as a member of the

44th United States Congress The 44th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. ) , image_sk ...

. He was re-elected in 1876 and stood again in 1878, losing to Joseph John Martin. Yeates successfully contested Martin's election and served briefly in the U.S. House again from January 29 to March 3, 1881. He declined to run again in 1880 and returned to the practice of law in

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

. He died in Washington in 1892 and is buried in Glenwood Cemetery. His homes at Murfreesboro, the John Wheeler House and

Myrick–Yeates–Vaughan House Myrick–Yeates–Vaughan House, also known as the Yeates–Vaughan House, Uriah Vaughan Jr. House, and Sarah Vaughan House, was a historic home located at Murfreesboro, Hertford County, North Carolina. The "T"-plan house consisted of an earlier ...

, are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yeates, Jesse Johnson 1829 births 1892 deaths People from Murfreesboro, North Carolina Democratic Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives Confederate States Army officers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina 19th-century American politicians Burials at Glenwood Cemetery (Washington, D.C.)