J. W. Yates, merchant and a prominent young citizen of Tullahoma, Tennessee, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, August 24, 1855, and is the son of James and Mary A. (Walters) Yates, natives of England. The parents came to America in 1855, and our subject was born three days after their arrival in Cincinnati. The parents are members of the Episcopal Church, and are citizens of Coffee County, Tennessee.
Our subject received a good education in the public schools, and followed it with several courses in bookkeeping. In 1882 he came to Tullahoma and engaged in business, and is at present carrying a stock of about $18,000, and meeting with success.
In 1882 he married Ida, daughter of Cooper Grandberry, a native of South Carolina. They have two children: Wilton Earl (born in 1884) and Lillie May (born in 1886). Politically he is a democrat. His wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church South.