James Yates was a businessman and member in the House of Assembly representing Victoria
District.
1 He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of
Vancouver Island in
1856 and participated in the protests to remove Chief Justice
David Cameron from office, as well as signed petitions that called for
free trade with the mining population of Fraser River
and the removal of Governor
James Douglas.
2 Yates also built the first saloon in
Victoria after receiving a retail license for ale and spirit shops in
1853.
3 Yates was an influential figure in
Victoria who helped
shape public policy… in favour of positive conditions for establishing the province
as a material, intellectual, and political power.
4Yates was born on
21 January 1819, in Linlithgow Scotland.
5 He spent his youth working for the Hudson’s Bay Company
as a ship’s carpenter on board the Prince Rupert,
and arrived in
Victoria in
1849 as a part of the first band of immigrants.
6 Yates built his fortune by selling liquor and real estate;
the building which housed his second saloon, the Ship Inn, still stands at 1218 Wharf
St and is recognized by its metal columns which extend over the sidewalk there.
7 He is also the namesake of Yates Street in
Victoria.
8 Yates and his family returned to Scotland in
1860 with their riches and
settled at Porto Bello in Edinburgh.
9 Yates died in Edinburgh on
23 February 1900, shortly after the death of his wife.
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