Claude Yates
Encyclopedia
Claude J. Yates was a Jacksonville business executive in the 1960s who is known as the Father of Jacksonville’s consolidation.
in Jacksonville during the early 1960s. He had recently retired from Southern Bell and been named president of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce
in 1964 when all 15 public high schools lost their accreditation. On January 19, 1965 Yates called a lunch meeting of the chamber at the Robert Meyer Hotel to decide on a course of action. Those individuals who attended included: Glenn Marshall Jr., Roger L. Main, W.S. Johnson, Charles W. Campbell, Gert H.W. Schmidt, Edward Ball, C.G. Whittaker, Luke Sadler, B.D. Fincannon, George B. Hills, Jacob F. Bryan III, B.N. Nimnicht, James R. Stockton Sr., J.T. Lane, J.H. Coppedge, Gen. Maxwell Snyder, Harold Meyerheim, Joseph W. Davin, Thompson S. Baker, Richard Lewinson, Henry M. French and S. Kendrick Guernsey. All are deceased. The date was significant because it was the deadline for submitting requests for the upcoming legislative session. At the time, the legislature only met for sixty days every other year. Those prominent business and civic leaders signed a 45-word petition to the Duval legislative delegation of Senator John E. Mathews and Representative Fred Schultz, that would later be dubbed the Yates Manifesto. It stated:
It recommended governmental reforms and consolidation for Duval County's governments.
, who later became publisher of The Florida Times-Union
and Jacksonville Journal
. Lex Hester
was hired as the executive director.
Claude Yates was among the 50 business and civic leaders invited to participate. Elected officials and government employees were intentionally excluded. On October 1, 1965 the commission was established and given until May 1, 1967 to complete their work. In January, 1967, after 15 months of effort and three months ahead of schedule, the LGSC submitted a consolidation proposal entitled, Blueprint for Improvement.
The legislative delegation altered the plan slightly to make it more appealing and ordered it to be placed on a referendum in 1967. Voters had consistently defeated consolidation referendums since 1935.
Yates led the Citizens for Better Government committee, which successfully disseminated information about the advantages of consolidation.
The referendum passed and their Blueprint for Improvement has "since proven to be a national model for urban [consolidated] government", according to the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce.
, appointed by their Board of Governors.
The Greater Jacksonville Economic Opportunity program began in 1968 as an anti-poverty initiative that started, among other things, project Head Start. Among other luminaries, its directors included Claude J. Yates
Years later, Yates was the president of Area Communications Inc., the company that established cable television in Jacksonville. Continental Cablevision purchased Area Communications in 1984 and was the city's cable provider until 2002.
Claude Yates died of a heart attack in Jacksonville on October 25, 1988.
The Riverside YMCA at 221 Riverside Avenue was renamed the Claude J. Yates YMCA in January, 2000.
The local government building at 231 E. Forsyth Street was named, the Claude Yates Building when it opened in 1989.
Prelude to Consolidation
Claude Yates was Vice President and General Manager of the Southern Bell Telephone CompanyBellSouth Telecommunications
BellSouth Telecommunications, LLC is the Bell Operating Company of AT&T that serves the southeastern United States. It absorbed the operations of South Central Bell in 1992....
in Jacksonville during the early 1960s. He had recently retired from Southern Bell and been named president of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
in 1964 when all 15 public high schools lost their accreditation. On January 19, 1965 Yates called a lunch meeting of the chamber at the Robert Meyer Hotel to decide on a course of action. Those individuals who attended included: Glenn Marshall Jr., Roger L. Main, W.S. Johnson, Charles W. Campbell, Gert H.W. Schmidt, Edward Ball, C.G. Whittaker, Luke Sadler, B.D. Fincannon, George B. Hills, Jacob F. Bryan III, B.N. Nimnicht, James R. Stockton Sr., J.T. Lane, J.H. Coppedge, Gen. Maxwell Snyder, Harold Meyerheim, Joseph W. Davin, Thompson S. Baker, Richard Lewinson, Henry M. French and S. Kendrick Guernsey. All are deceased. The date was significant because it was the deadline for submitting requests for the upcoming legislative session. At the time, the legislature only met for sixty days every other year. Those prominent business and civic leaders signed a 45-word petition to the Duval legislative delegation of Senator John E. Mathews and Representative Fred Schultz, that would later be dubbed the Yates Manifesto. It stated:
"We, the undersigned, respectfully request the Duval County Delegation to the Florida Legislature to prepare an enabling act calling for the citizens of Duval County to vote on the consolidation of government within Duval to secure more efficient and effective government under one governmental body."
It recommended governmental reforms and consolidation for Duval County's governments.
Consolidation
In response, the 1965 Legislature created the Local Government Study Commission (LGSC) chaired by J.J. DanielJ.J. Daniel
Jaquelin James Daniel , known professionally as J. J. Daniel, was an American lawyer, businessman, civic leader and newspaper publisher. Mostly forgotten in Jacksonville, Florida, where he was born and lived for most of his adulthood, he was once once of its most powerful people.-Family and early...
, who later became publisher of The Florida Times-Union
The Florida Times-Union
The Florida Times-Union is a major daily newspaper in Jacksonville, Florida, USA. Widely known as the oldest newspaper in the state, it began publication as the Florida Union in 1864. Its current incarnation started in 1883, when the Florida Union merged with another Jacksonville paper, the...
and Jacksonville Journal
Jacksonville Journal
Jacksonville Journal is a now-defunct afternoon newspaper in the Jacksonville, Florida area. It began publication as the Metropolis in 1887. Renamed The Florida Metropolis in the early 1900s, it was renamed the Jacksonville Journal in 1922 upon its purchase by John H. Perry. The Journal's new...
. Lex Hester
Lex Hester
Lewis Alexander Hester, III was a public administrator in Jacksonville, Florida. He "was the consummate no-nonsense administrator, the very best in his field,” according to M. C...
was hired as the executive director.
Claude Yates was among the 50 business and civic leaders invited to participate. Elected officials and government employees were intentionally excluded. On October 1, 1965 the commission was established and given until May 1, 1967 to complete their work. In January, 1967, after 15 months of effort and three months ahead of schedule, the LGSC submitted a consolidation proposal entitled, Blueprint for Improvement.
The legislative delegation altered the plan slightly to make it more appealing and ordered it to be placed on a referendum in 1967. Voters had consistently defeated consolidation referendums since 1935.
Yates led the Citizens for Better Government committee, which successfully disseminated information about the advantages of consolidation.
The referendum passed and their Blueprint for Improvement has "since proven to be a national model for urban [consolidated] government", according to the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce.
Other work
Claude J. Yates was a member and former Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Jacksonville Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of AtlantaFederal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta is responsible for the sixth district, which covers the states of Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, 74 counties in the eastern two-thirds of...
, appointed by their Board of Governors.
The Greater Jacksonville Economic Opportunity program began in 1968 as an anti-poverty initiative that started, among other things, project Head Start. Among other luminaries, its directors included Claude J. Yates
Years later, Yates was the president of Area Communications Inc., the company that established cable television in Jacksonville. Continental Cablevision purchased Area Communications in 1984 and was the city's cable provider until 2002.
Claude Yates died of a heart attack in Jacksonville on October 25, 1988.
Honors
After his death, the Jacksonville City Council created the Claude J. Yates Outstanding Councilman of the Year Award, which is bestowed annually to the outstanding council member.The Riverside YMCA at 221 Riverside Avenue was renamed the Claude J. Yates YMCA in January, 2000.
The local government building at 231 E. Forsyth Street was named, the Claude Yates Building when it opened in 1989.