Richard Yates Junior

Richard Yates

Richard Yates, Jr. (born December 12, 1860 in Jacksonville , Illinois , † April 11, 1936 in Springfield , Illinois) was an American politician and the 22nd Governor of Illinois from 1901 to 1905 . He also represented this state as a member of Congress .

Early years and political advancement

Richard Yates Jr. was the son of Richard Yates Sr. , who was governor of Illinois during the Civil War . Yates attended Illinois College until 1880 . He then studied law at the University of Michigan . After passing his exams and being admitted to the bar in 1884, he practiced in Jacksonville. Between 1878 and 1883 he was a newspaper publisher and brought out two local newspapers. In 1885, Yates became an attorney for the City of Jacksonville for the next five years. Between 1894 and 1897 he was a judge in Morgan County and from 1897 to 1900 he served as head of the federal treasury in Springfield. In 1900 he was nominated by the Republican Party as a candidate for the upcoming gubernatorial election.

Illinois Governor

After a successful election, Yates took up his new office on January 14, 1901. In his four-year tenure, he had to deal with race riots in Saline County in 1902 . The National Guard was therefore deployed to restore order and protect the black population. A bill to legalize horse racing in Illinois was stopped by the governor's veto. On May 15, 1903, Illinois passed a child labor law. Illinois was the first US state to introduce the 8-hour day and 48-hour week for child labor. That was a step forward for the time. In December 1903, 571 people were killed in a fire in a theater in Chicago . As a result, not only in Illinois, but throughout the United States, law enforcement was improved.

Another résumé

In 1904, Yates ran unsuccessfully for a new nomination for his party for governor. Therefore, he had to resign on January 9, 1905 from his office. But he remained politically active in the following years. In both 1908 and 1912 he unsuccessfully applied for a return to the office of governor. From 1914 to 1917 he was a member of the public utilities commission . Then he served as Assistant Attorney General of Illinois for two years . Between 1919 and 1933 he represented his state in the US House of Representatives . After leaving Congress, he retired to Springfield, where he wrote his memoirs and eventually died. He was married to Helen Wadsworth, with whom he had two children.

Web links

• Richard Yates Jr. in the National Governors Association (English)
• Richard Yates junior in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• Richard Yates Jr. in the database of Find a Grave (English)