John Van Ness Yates (December 18, 1779 – January 10, 1839) was aNew York lawyer,Democratic-Republican politician, andSecretary of State from 1818 to 1826.

He was born inAlbany on December 18, 1779.^[1] He was one of six children born to Jannette "Jane" Van Ness (1741–1818) andRobert Yates, a prominentAnti-Federalist attorney and jurist.^[2] His maternal uncle was Judge Peter Van Ness ofKinderhook and his cousins includedJohn Peter Van Ness,William P. Van Ness, andCornelius P. Van Ness.^[3]

He became a lawyer after clerking in the office ofJohn Vernon Henry.^[2] He held a number of offices in Albany, and was one of the first trustees of the Albany United Presbyterian Church. He was a captain of a light infantry company in 1806, master in chancery in 1808, recorder of the city 1809–1816, andNew York Secretary of State 1818–1826.^[2]

He co-authoredHistory of the State of New-York: Including Its Aboriginal and Colonial Annals (1826).^[2] This book features a vision of the Erie Canal, then under construction, in a ruined state in some distant, postapocalyptic future.

Yates was married to Eliza Ross Cunningham (1789–1847), who was fromKilbarchan,Scotland. Together, they were the parents of John Van Ness Yates Jr. (1834–1837). After his death on January 10, 1839, in Albany, he was buried in Albany Rural Cemetery.^[4]

• John Van Ness Yates atFind a Grave

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