Oates, James Wyatt
lawyer, was born in January, 1850, in Alabama. He received his education in the Emory and Henry college, Va.; and is now a leading attorney of California at Santa Rosa.
During 1876-77 he was major in the Alabama state troops. In 1879 he moved to California; and during 1885-90 was special United States attorney for California in charge of timber depredation suits involving nearly three million dollars. In 1890 he was the democratic nominee for superior judge of Sonoma county.