# William H. Yale *Minnesota lawyer and Republican politician; sixth lieutenant governor of Minnesota* William Hall Yale (November 12, 1831 – January 25, 1917) was a lawyer and Republican politician in [[Minnesota]]. He sat in the [[Minnesota Senate]] and held office as the sixth [[Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota]], from January 7, 1870, to January 9, 1874.[^1][^3] In 1894 Governor Nelson named him a regent of the [[University of Minnesota]]. He belonged to the Episcopal Church.[^1] The only source this record holds for Yale is a Wikipedia article (revision 1365802337, retrieved October 25, 2026). The dates and offices below are stated as that article gives them. They have not been checked against legislative or executive records.[^1] ## Biography ### Early life Yale was born in New Haven, Connecticut, on November 12, 1831. His parents, Wooster Yale and Lucy Yale (née Hall), belonged to the Yale family.[^2] The article traces his father's line to Capt. Theophilus Yale, whose great-great-grandson he was, and to Capt. Thomas Yale, whom it identifies as an uncle of Elihu Yale of Yale University.[^2] It describes the father as a large-scale shoe manufacturer and later a deputy of the New Haven County [[sheriff]]. The family lived on the ancestral estate where Thomas Yale had settled in 1670.[^2] Yale was schooled in Wallingford, Connecticut, and at Suffield Academy. He then spent five years teaching in Norwalk, Connecticut.[^2] The article names Joseph Roswell Hawley as a schoolmate. Hawley later became a United States Senator and Governor of Connecticut.[^2] Yale left teaching in 1854 to keep books for the Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company. In 1857 he went west to Minnesota.[^2] ### Career Yale made his home in [[Winona, Minnesota]]. He had read law in his spare time for several years and was admitted to the bar soon after he arrived. He then opened a practice.[^3] He first practiced in partnership with Judge [[William B. Mitchell]]. He later practiced under the firm name Yale & Webber.[^3] The article lists among his early associates:[^3] - Senator [[Daniel Sheldon Norton]] - [[William Windom (politician)]], later Secretary of the Treasury and a senator - Congressman [[Thomas Wilson (Minnesota politician)]] - Attorney general [[Charles H. Berry]] Within a short time, Winona voters placed Yale in several local posts: city justice, probate judge and prosecutor.[^3] Yale won a seat in the Minnesota State Senate in 1867.[^3] Two years later, in 1869, he was elected lieutenant governor on the ticket with Governor [[Horace Austin]]. He held the office from January 7, 1870, to January 9, 1874.[^3] His predecessor was the banker [[Thomas H. Armstrong]].[^3] Over the same years, 1870 to 1874, the article counts Yale as the fifth President of the Minnesota Senate. He was returned to the state senate in 1875.[^3] The [[Governor of Minnesota]] identified in the article only as Governor Nelson appointed Yale a regent of the University of Minnesota in 1894.[^1] Yale died on January 25, 1917.[^1] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *William H. Yale* (revision 1365802337, retrieved 2026-10-25), lead section — establishes birth and death dates, Republican affiliation, senate and lieutenant-governor service, the 1894 regency appointment by Governor Nelson, and Episcopal membership. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_H._Yale [^2]: Wikipedia contributors, *William H. Yale* (revision 1365802337, retrieved 2026-10-25), "Biography – Early life" — establishes parentage, family descent, the father's occupations, schooling, teaching in Norwalk, the Sharps Rifle bookkeeping post (1854) and the move to Minnesota (1857). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_H._Yale [^3]: Wikipedia contributors, *William H. Yale* (revision 1365802337, retrieved 2026-10-25), "Biography – Career" — establishes the Winona law practice, partners and associates, the local offices, election to the state senate (1867, 1875), the lieutenant governorship (January 7, 1870 – January 9, 1874) under Horace Austin, and the Senate presidency (1870–1874). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_H._Yale