John Jay

John Jay
Portrait by Gilbert Stuart, 1794
1st Chief Justice of the United States
In office October 19, 1789 – June 29, 1795
Nominated by	George Washington
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	John Rutledge
2nd Governor of New York
In office July 1, 1795 – June 30, 1801
Lieutenant	Stephen Van Rensselaer
Preceded by	George Clinton
Succeeded by	George Clinton
United States Secretary of State
Acting September 15, 1789 – March 22, 1790
President	George Washington
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Thomas Jefferson
United States Secretary of Foreign Affairs
Acting July 27, 1789 – September 15, 1789
President	George Washington
Preceded by	Himself
Succeeded by	Office abolished
In office December 21, 1784 – March 3, 1789
Appointed by	Congress of the Confederation
Preceded by	Robert R. Livingston
Succeeded by	Himself
United States Minister to Spain
In office September 27, 1779 – May 20, 1782
Appointed by	Second Continental Congress
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	William Short
6th President of the Continental Congress
In office December 10, 1778 – September 28, 1779
Preceded by	Henry Laurens
Succeeded by	Samuel Huntington
Delegate from New York to the Second Continental Congress
In office December 7, 1778 – September 28, 1779
Preceded by	Philip Livingston
Succeeded by	Robert R. Livingston
In office May 10, 1775 – May 22, 1776
Preceded by	Seat established
Succeeded by	Seat abolished
Delegate from New York to the First Continental Congress
In office September 5, 1774 – October 26, 1774
Preceded by	Seat established
Succeeded by	Seat abolished
Personal details
Born	(1745-12-23)December 23, 1745 New York City, Province of New York
Died	May 17, 1829(1829-05-17) (aged 83) Bedford, New York, U.S.
Political party	Federalist
Spouse	Sarah Livingston ​ ​ (m. 1774; died 1802)​
Children	6, including Peter and William
Relatives	Jay family Van Cortlandt family
Education	King's College (AB, MA)
Signature

John Jay (December 23 [O.S. December 12], 1745 – May 17, 1829) was an American statesman, patriot, diplomat, abolitionist, signatory of the Treaty of Paris, and a Founding Father of the United States. He served as the second governor of New York and the first chief justice of the United States. He directed U.S. foreign policy for much of the 1780s and was an important leader of the Federalist Party after the ratification of the United States Constitution in 1788.

Jay was born into a wealthy family of merchants and New York City government officials of French Huguenot and Dutch descent. He became a lawyer and joined the New York Committee of Correspondence, organizing American opposition to British policies such as the Intolerable Acts in the leadup to the American Revolution. Jay was elected to the First Continental Congress, where he signed the Continental Association, and to the Second Continental Congress, where he served as its president. From 1779 to 1782, Jay served as the ambassador to Spain; he persuaded Spain to provide financial aid to the fledgling United States. He also served as a negotiator of the Treaty of Paris, in which Britain recognized American independence. Following the end of the war, Jay served as Secretary of Foreign Affairs, directing United States foreign policy under the Articles of Confederation government. He also served as the first Secretary of State on an interim basis.

A proponent of strong, centralized government, Jay worked to ratify the United States Constitution in New York in 1788. He was a co-author of The Federalist Papers along with Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, and wrote five of the eighty-five essays. After the establishment of the new federal government, Jay was appointed by President George Washington the first Chief Justice of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1795. The Jay Court experienced a light workload, deciding just four cases over six years. In 1794, while serving as chief justice, Jay negotiated the highly controversial Jay Treaty with Britain. Jay received a handful of electoral votes in three of the first four presidential elections but never undertook a serious bid for the presidency.

Jay served as the governor of New York from 1795 to 1801. Although he successfully passed gradual emancipation legislation as governor of the state, he owned five slaves as late as 1800. In the waning days of President John Adams' administration, Jay was confirmed by the Senate for another term as chief justice, but he declined the position and retired to his farm in Westchester County, New York.