Charles B. Yates

Charles B. Yates (September 27, 1939 – October 6, 2000) was an American banker, businessman, and Democratic Party politician who represented parts of Burlington County in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1972 to 1978 and in the New Jersey Senate from 1978 to 1982. He ran unsuccessfully for the United States House of Representatives in 1970 and 1974, losing both races to Edwin B. Forsythe.

While in the legislature, Yates was known as a reformist who led the state investigation into the Abscam scandal and called for stricter conflict-of-interest rules and campaign finance regulations. He died in a plane crash on Martha's Vineyard in 2000.

Early life and education Charles B. Yates was born in New York City. His parents were immigrants born in Canada and Czechoslovakia. He earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the City College of New York in 1960. In 1967, he returned to the United States to serve as president of Yates Industries and lived in Willingboro Township, New Jersey.

In 1980, his business was acquired by Square D, an electrical products company from Palatine, Illinois.

1974 congressional campaign In 1974, Yates again challenged Forsythe again in the 6th congressional district. The district had been changed in decennial redistricting to shore up Republican support for Forsythe, but Yates was encouraged by growing Democratic strength in Ocean County, Cherry Hill, and Willingboro. Since the 1970 campaign, the Republican administrations of both President Richard Nixon and Governor Cahill had been engulfed in scandals that resulted in a landslide victory for the Democratic Party in the 1973 New Jersey elections. He served one term and chaired the Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards and the Joint Committee on Appropriations.

As chair of the ethics committee, Yates proposed amendments to the state code of ethics to prohibit senators from appearing before judge as an attorney where the judge was up for reappointment to the bench and would require the senator's vote.

In 1979, Yates led the investigation into Kenneth A. Gewertz of Woodbury, who shared ownership of a company that contracted to sell 250 slot machines to Resorts International Casino in Atlantic City. Yates criticized Gewertz for holding hearings on casino regulations during the investigation and called for tighter regulation of the state code of ethics. The committee ultimately advised Gewertz to sell his interest in the slot machine business, which he did. Gewertz then accused Steven P. Perskie of Atlantic City, a member of the committee, for engaging in the casino real estate business. Perskie was investigated and cleared of wrongdoing.

In 1980, Yates was at the center of the state investigation into the Abscam scandal, in which several of his Democratic colleagues were investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for accepting bribes from sting operatives posting as wealthy Arabs seeking to own an Atlantic City casino. Yates called for special counsel to review the allegations and supported stricter conflict-of-interest rules for legislators seeking business in industries that they regulated, including barring legislators and their spouses from working for, representing, or holding an interest in a casino or applicants for a casino license.

Yates was also critical his colleague David Friedland of Jersey City, who had been indicted for accepting bribes to arrange a loan out of the Teamsters pension fund. However, he declined to hold a hearing on Friedland's conduct on the grounds that the indictment did not allege a connection with legislative duties. Friedland later faked his death and became a fugitive from the law, hiding in Maldives until his capture.

In April 1981, Yates announced that he would not run for re-election to the Senate, citing "increased responsibilities in private employment." Anya was involved in environmental preservation efforts on Martha's Vineyard, where they maintained a second home in the exclusive Boldwater section of Edgartown. She was involved in the Great Pond Foundation, an organization promoting research and habitat preservation.

Death and legacy Yates, his wife, and their children Elena and William died in a plane crash on October 6, 2000, in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, when the twin propeller Mitsubishi MU-2B airplane Yates was piloting crashed into the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest, about one mile from Martha's Vineyard Airport.

At the time of his death, Yates was a resident of Princeton, New Jersey. In addition to his children from his first marriage, adopted son Sergei, and seven grandchildren, he was survived by his brothers, Craig Yates and Roy and Steven O'Brien, and his sister Frances Yates.