Yates, Sidney Richard, 1909-2000

Sidney Richard Yates (August 27, 1909 – October 5, 2000) was an American lawyer and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the U.S. Representative from Illinois's 9th congressional district from 1949 to 1963 and again from 1965 to 1999.

A native of Chicago, he graduated from Lake View High School there in 1928. Yates received bachelor's (1931) and law (1933) degrees from the University of Chicago, was admitted to the bar, and practiced law in Chicago. In addition to working as an attorney, Yates also played semiprofessional basketball in the 1930s. He gained his initial experience in government as an attorney for the state bank receiver from 1935 to 1937 and an assistant state attorney general specializing in traction railroads for the Illinois Commerce Commission from 1937 to 1940. During World War II, Yates served in the United States Navy for two years, from 1944 to 1946, as an attorney based in Washington, D.C.

In 1948, Yates was elected to Congress from Illinois's 9th district, and he served from 1949 to 1963. After an unsuccessful run against Everett Dirksen for the United States Senate in 1962, Yates briefly served as United States Representative to the Trusteeship Council of the United Nations with the rank of Ambassador before again being elected to the House from the 9th district in 1964. He served from 1965 to 1999. He was a longtime member of the House Appropriations Committee, where he became known for staunch U.S. support of Israel, and federal funding for parks, historical conservation, and the arts. Yates was also an advocate for several liberal causes, including opposition to discrimination based on age. At the time he concluded his service, he was third oldest person to ever serve in the House (age 89) behind Charles Manly Stedman and Isaac R. Sherwood, and one of the longest-tenured members in the history of Congress.

Yates died in Washington in 2000. He was buried at Memorial Park Cemetery in Skokie, Illinois.