William Yates

Educated at William and Mary, Anglican clergyman William Yates became the fifth president of the College of William and Mary in Fall 1760. Yates was a membr of the Governor’s Council as well as rector of Abingdon, Gloucester, and Bruton Parishes. He ascended to the presidency as the Board of Visitors attempted to wield greater influence over the College. President Yates largely complied with the wishes of the Visitors, and the College expanded the faculty during this time. With Yate’s death in 1764, the College of William and Mary had seen three presidents over a single decade.

No known portrait of Yates exists.

Material in the SCRC

• Photograph of the plaque at the William Yates Room, P1977.233, University Archives Photograph Collection, Special Collections Research Center, Earl Gregg Swem Library, William & Mary.

• Jack Eric Morpurgo Papers, Special Collections Research Center, Earl Gregg Swem Library, William & Mary.

Need help?

To search for further material, see Finding Materials in the SCRC for an introduction to the SCRC Collections Database, card catalogs, Flat Hat-William & Mary News-Alumni Gazette index, etc.

Questions? Contact the SCRC at spcoll@wm.edu or 221-3090, or visit the Special Collections Research Center in the Earl Gregg Swem Library at the College of William and Mary (hours).

Preceded by	College of William and Mary President	Succeeded by
Thomas Dawson 1 November 1755 - 29 November 1760	William Yates Fall 1760 - December 1764	James Horrocks Late 1764/Early 1765 - 21 June 1771

A note about the information in this wiki

Unfortunately, many of the early original records of the College of William and Mary were destroyed by fire, military occupation, and the normal effects of time. The information available here is the best available from known documents and sources at the time it was written. Information in this wiki is not complete as new information continues to be uncovered in the SCRC's collections and elsewhere. Researchers are strongly encouraged to use the SCRC's access tools for their research as the information contained in this wiki is by no means comprehensive.