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Politicians in Trouble or Disgrace

Politicians in Trouble: Y

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  William Lowndes Yancey (1814-1863) — also known as William L. Yancey; "The Orator of Secession" — of Greenville, Greenville District (now Greenville County), S.C.; Wetumpka, Elmore County, Ala.; Montgomery, Montgomery County, Ala. Born in Warren County, Ga., August 10, 1814. Democrat. Newspaper editor; planter; in September 1838, he killed Dr. Robinson Earle in a street brawl; convicted of manslaughter, and sentenced to a year in jail, but pardoned a few months later; member of Alabama state house of representatives, 1841; member of Alabama state senate, 1843; U.S. Representative from Alabama 3rd District, 1844-46; resigned 1846; delegate to Democratic National Convention from Alabama, 1860; delegate to Alabama secession convention, 1861; Senator from Alabama in the Confederate Congress, 1862-63; died in office 1863. Slaveowner. Died in Montgomery, Montgomery County, Ala., July 23, 1863 (age 48 years, 347 days). Interment at Oakwood Cemetery, Montgomery, Ala.
  Relatives: Son of Caroline (Bird) Yancey and Benjamin Cudworth Yancey; half-brother of Samuel Smith Beman; brother of Benjamin Cudworth Yancey Jr.; married, August 13, 1835, to Sarah Caroline Earle (aunt of Joseph Haynsworth Earle; grandniece of Elias Earle).
  Political family: Earle family of South Carolina.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Find-A-Grave memorial
  Roy T. Yates (1895-1960) — of Passaic County, N.J.; Manhattan, New York County, N.Y. Born in Paterson, Passaic County, N.J., August 8, 1895. Republican. Banker; member of New Jersey Republican State Committee, 1925-27; member of New Jersey state senate from Passaic County, 1928-31; resigned 1931. Member, Freemasons; Junior Order; Patriotic Order Sons of America. Shot in the abdomen, on August 14, 1931, by Miss Ruth Cranmer, in her apartment in Manhattan, New York; this incident led to the discovery that Miss Cranmer, apparently his mistress, had also received checks from the State of New Jersey; the New Jersey State Senate Judiciary committee began an investigation into whether Sen. Yates should be impeached; but then he resigned. Died, of a heart ailment, in Doctors Hospital, Manhattan, New York County, N.Y., March 8, 1960 (age 64 years, 213 days). Interment somewhere in Easton, Conn.
  Relatives: Married to Elsie Southrope.
  Fred William Yoos (1879-1940) — also known as Fred W. Yoos — of Akron, Summit County, Ohio. Born in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, January 20, 1879. Served in the U.S. Army during the Spanish-American War; railroad flagman; police officer; rubber tire worker; after serving as an organizer for the Ku Klux Klan, he resigned, or was expelled, and announced in January 1923 that he would expose corruption and "un-American prejudice" in the local Klan organization; on January 18, police received an anonymous "tip off" that Yoos was illegally carrying a concealed weapon; he was searched, and no weapon was found on his person, but a companion had a gun, and Yoos was arrested and held in jail for days until released; he continued to express opposition to the Ku Klux Klan, but did not make the disclosures he promised; Independent candidate for mayor of Akron, Ohio, 1923. German ancestry. Member, Ku Klux Klan; Freemasons. Died in Akron, Summit County, Ohio, May 31, 1940 (age 61 years, 132 days). Interment at Rose Hill Burial Park, Fairlawn, Ohio.
  Relatives: Son of Fred B. Yoos and Katie (Hurst) Yoos; married, October 24, 1900, to Hedwig 'Hattie' Wojahn.
  Joseph F. Young Jr. (b. 1950) — also known as Joe Young, Jr. — of Detroit, Wayne County, Mich. Born in Detroit, Wayne County, Mich., November 4, 1950. Democrat. Member of Michigan state house of representatives, 1979-94 (15th District 1979-92, 4th District 1993-94); member of Michigan state senate 1st District, 1995-; defeated in primary, 1988. Catholic. African ancestry. Member, NAACP; Knights of Columbus. Arrested on July 21, 2000 on Interstate 96 near Howell, Michigan, and charged with drunk driving; pleaded guilty in September 2000 to impaired driving; sentenced to six months probation, and fined. Still living as of 2000.
  Relatives: Son of Joseph F. Young Sr..
  Lafayette Young (1848-1926) — of Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa. Born in Monroe County, Iowa, May 10, 1848. Republican. Newspaper editor and publisher; member of Iowa state legislature, 1890; delegate to Republican National Convention from Iowa, 1900, 1908; U.S. Senator from Iowa, 1910-11; in May 1915, while working as a war correspondent for a Des Moines newspaper, he was arrested in Innsbruck, Austria, on suspicion of espionage; released a few hours later. Died in Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa, November 15, 1926 (age 78 years, 189 days). Interment at Woodland Cemetery, Des Moines, Iowa.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial
  David Levy Yulee (1810-1886) — also known as David Levy; "Father of Florida's Railroads" — of St. Augustine, St. Johns County, Fla.; Homosassa, Citrus County, Fla. Born in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, June 12, 1810. Republican. Lawyer; delegate to Florida state constitutional convention from St. Johns County, 1838-39; Delegate to U.S. Congress from Florida Territory, 1841-45; U.S. Senator from Florida, 1845-51, 1855-61; imprisoned as a Confederate at Fort Pulaski, Fla. for a time after the Civil War. Jewish. Slaveowner. Died in New York, New York County, N.Y., October 10, 1886 (age 76 years, 120 days). Interment at Oak Hill Cemetery, Washington, D.C.
  Relatives: Son-in-law of Charles Anderson Wickliffe.
  Political family: Wickliffe-Holt family of Bardstown, Kentucky.
  Levy County, Fla. is named for him.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article
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