James E. Yeatman
1818–1901
Banker & First President of Bellefontaine

James Yeatman, a St. Louis banker, served as the first president of Bellefontaine Cemetery. It was he who went to the eastern cemeteries looking for a capable landscape architect, and a more fortunate choice could not have been made than Almerin Hotchkiss. During the Civil War it was Mr. Yeatman who headed the Western Sanitary Commission which raised funds, administered hospitals and cared for the St. Louis wounded. The Commission was one of the forerunners of the Red Cross. The fine marble monument at the grave of Mrs. Angelica Yeatman is the work of Robert Von der Launitz, a New York sculptor.