Herbert Yeates was born at Bowen on 31 January 1879. In December,1880, his father, Sidney Yeates, who was then farming at Bowen, decided to migrate into the interior and travelled overland to AdavaleviaWithersfield and Tambo, and in partnership with his brother-in law, James Francis Cudmore, purchased Boondoon Station from the Conn Brothers around January 1881, where they ran 50,000 sheep and 2000 cattle. Herbert Yeates gained practical experience on Boondoon until 1896, when he selected land on the Ward River near Charleville, and in company with his brothers, was engaged in sheep farming until 1900, when he sold his share and with his brothers Alfred Milo Yeates and Kenneth Barr Yeates, established the firm of Yeates Brothers, Limited, stock and station agents, Toowoomba, Bell and elsewhere. Like his father, Herbert Yeates took an active part in the public affairs of the community both civic and political. In 1913 he contested, unsuccessfully, the federal Division of Maranoa and again in 1917 against the Hon. James Page, who had held the seat since Federation, but with sufficient electoral success to show that with some organisation, the Socialists could be beaten. In 1921, on the death of Page, there was a multiplicity of candidates, and Yeates unselfishly withdrew his nomination in favour of James Hunter in order to assist the Country Party. On the death of Senator John Adamson in June 1922, friends and supporters, who had been disappointed at his withdrawal, lobbied for him to accept nomination for the Senate, though being a casual vacancy, the nomination was in the gift of the ruling State government. Controversially, a Labor politician, was chosen as the replacement for a Nationalist member, though Adamson was Labor prior to being elected.
Family
Herbert Yeates had seven brothers, amongst them the pastoralist and businessman Albert Yeates. as well as Alfred Milo and Kenneth Barr mentioned above. Herbert married Margaret Ann McNeil Tolmie on 11 April 1906. They had six sons: Derick McRae Yeates, Herbert Nelson McRae Yeates, James McRae Yeates, cricketer Fergus Macrae Yeates, Neil Tolmie McRae Yeates, and Alastair Colin McRae Yeates. Margaret was a sister of James Tolmie MLA. He was a cousin of James Kenneth Cudmore, of Tara and Etton stations, Barcaldine. Yeates died on Christmas Eve in 1945 and was buried in Drayton and Toowoomba Cemetery.
