Yates, Richard, 1815-1873

American lawyer and politician.

From the description of Letter signed, with a line in his autograph : Springfield, Illinois, to President Lincoln, 1863 Feb. 25. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270584462

Illinois governor, 1861-1865; member, Illinois House of Representatives, 1842-1846, 1849-1850; U.S. senator, 1865-1871.

From the description of Letter : General Head Quarters, Springfield, State of Illinois, to John S. Bradford, 1861 April 17. (Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library). WorldCat record id: 27418140

Yates was an Illinois state legislator, U.S. congressman, Civil War governor (1861-1865), and U.S. senator.

From the description of Letter, April 30, 1853. (Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library). WorldCat record id: 698775129

Yates was elected as a Representative to the Illinois Congress, a position he held for most of the 1840s. In the early 1850s, he served two terms in the United States House of Representatives, but after an unsuccessful bid for reelection, he returned his focus to state level issues. After returning to Illinois he joined the growing movement for a railroad through Menard County that was ultimately realized in the Tonica and Petersburg Railraod. Today, under control of the Chicago and Alton Railroad Company, the Tonica and Petersburg line runs to Kansas City, still carrying passengers and freight. Richard Yates was inaugurated as governor of Illinois just three months before the attack on Fort Sumter, and quickly aligned himself and his state with the goals of President Lincoln. After four years of fighting, the Civil War and Yates' governorship came to a close, but he continued to serve his state as a member of the U.S. Senate. He did not seek reelection 1871, likely due to his declining health. Following a long period of illness, Richard Yates died from apoplexy in November 1873.

From the description of Richard Yates papers, 1842-1923. (Southern Illinois University). WorldCat record id: 317552836

Illinois governor, 1861-1865.

From the description of Correspondence, 1847-1868. (Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library). WorldCat record id: 690959905

Governor of Illinois, 1861-1865, and father of Richard Yates, Illinois governor, 1901-1905.

From the description of Appointment, June 13, 1861. (Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library). WorldCat record id: 739970662

Illinois governor and U.S. representative and senator from Illinois.

From the description of Richard Yates correspondence, 1855-1862. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 613325728

From the guide to the Richard Yates Letters, 1860-1868., (Columbia University. Rare Book and Manuscript Library, )