John Ashton Yates FRSA (21 June 1781 – 1 November 1863) was a British Whig politician and railroad investor.
[1] Yates was educated by a Unitarian minister, William Shepherd, at Gateacre, Liverpool, before he studied commerce at the Presbyterian-run Manchester Academy.
In 1820, Yates was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts,[5] and wrote several books related to the Corn Laws and economics.
[8] Probably a member of Renshaw Street Chapel in Liverpool, Yates served as president of the British and Foreign Unitarian Association in 1841 and 1856.
[9] Together, they lived at Dingle Head, Toxteth Park, and were the parents of five daughters:[10] Yates died at Philips' house in Manchester on 1 November 1863, having suffered from a declining memory for the previous two years.