John Jay (American statesman)

John Jay
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
1st Chief Justice of the United States
In office September 26, 1789 – June 29, 1795
Appointed by	George Washington
Preceded by	Seat established
Succeeded by	John Rutledge
United States Secretary of State Acting
In office September 15, 1789 – March 22, 1790
President	George Washington
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Thomas Jefferson
United States Secretary of Foreign Affairs
In office May 7, 1784 – September 15, 1789
Appointed by	Congress of the Confederation
Preceded by	Robert Livingston
Succeeded by	Position abolished
United States Minister to Spain
In office September 27, 1779 – May 20, 1782
Appointed by	Continental Congress
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	William Carmichael
6th President of the Continental Congress
In office December 10, 1778 – September 28, 1779
Preceded by	Henry Laurens
Succeeded by	Samuel Huntington
Delegate to the Second Continental Congress from New York
In office December 7, 1778 – September 28, 1779
Preceded by	Philip Livingston
Succeeded by	Robert Livingston
In office May 10, 1775 – May 22, 1776
Preceded by	Seat established
Succeeded by	Seat abolished
Delegate to the First Continental Congress from New York
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, New York, British America
Died	May 17, 1829(1829-05-17) (aged 83) Bedford, New York, U.S.
Political party	Federalist
Spouse(s)	Sarah Livingston
Children	6 (including Peter and William)
Education	Columbia University (BA, MA)
Signature

John Jay (December 23 [O.S. December 12] 1745 – May 17, 1829) was an American statesman, Patriot, diplomat, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, signatory of the Treaty of Paris, second Governor of New York, and first Chief Justice of the United States (1789–95).

Jay was born into a wealthy family of merchants and government officials in New York City. He became a lawyer and joined the New York Committee of Correspondence and organized opposition to British rule. He joined a conservative political faction that, fearing mob rule, sought to protect property rights and maintain the rule of law while resisting British rule. Jay served as the President of the Continental Congress (1778–79), an honorific position with little power. During and after the American Revolution, Jay was Minister (Ambassador) to Spain, a negotiator of the Treaty of Paris by which Great Britain recognized American independence, and Secretary of Foreign Affairs, helping to fashion United States foreign policy. His major diplomatic achievement was to negotiate favorable trade terms with Great Britain in the Jay Treaty in 1794.

Jay, a proponent of strong, centralized government, worked to ratify the U.S. Constitution in New York in 1788 by pseudonymously writing five of The Federalist Papers, along with the main authors Alexander Hamilton and James Madison. After the establishment of the U.S. government, Jay became the first Chief Justice of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1795.

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