Jay, John, 1745-1829

<ul><b>RACES</b>
<li>12/03/1800 US President Lost 0.36% (-26.09%)</li>
<li>11/04/1800 US Vice President Lost 0.49% (-35.47%)</li>
<li>04/26/1798 NY Governor Won 54.01% (+8.03%)</li>
<li>12/07/1796 U.S. President Lost 1.81% (-23.91%)</li>
<li>11/08/1796 US Vice President Lost 2.44% (-30.73%)</li>
<li>11/00/1796 CT US President Lost 27.78% (-22.22%)</li>
<li>04/30/1795 NY Governor Won 53.14% (+6.29%)</li>
<li>04/26/1792 NY Governor Lost 49.27% (-1.45%)</li>
<li>03/22/1790 U. S. Secretary of State - Acting Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
<li>09/26/1789 Supreme Court - Chief Justice Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
<li>02/04/1789 U.S. President Lost 6.52% (-43.48%)</li>
<li>02/04/1789 US Vice President Lost 12.86% (-35.71%)</li>
<li>05/29/1788 New York Ratifying Convention Won 11.10% (+0.08%)</li>
<li>12/31/1783 NY Continental Congress Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
<li>09/29/1779 US Ambassador to Spain Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
<li>12/31/1778 NY Continental Congress Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
<li>12/31/1777 NY Continental Congress Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
<li>06/01/1777 NY Governor Lost 9.69% (-38.59%)</li>
<li>12/31/1776 NY Continental Congress Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
<li>12/31/1775 NY Continental Congress Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
<li>12/31/1774 NY Continental Congress Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
<li>09/01/1774 NY Continental Congress Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
</ul>

JAY, John, a Delegate from New York; born in New York City December 12, 1745; attended a boarding school in New Rochelle, N.Y., and was graduated from King's College (now Columbia University) in 1764; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1768; served on the New York committee of correspondence; Member of the Continental Congress 1774-1776 and 1778-1779; recalled some months in 1777 to aid in forming the New York State constitution; appointed chief justice of the State of New York in May 1777 but resigned December 1778 to become President of the Continental Congress and served in that capacity from December 10, 1778, to September 28, 1779; appointed Minister Plenipotentiary to Spain September 27, 1779; appointed one of the ministers to negotiate peace with Great Britain June 14, 1781, and signed the Treaty of Paris; appointed one of the ministers to negotiate treaties with the European powers May 1, 1783; returned to New York in 1784; appointed Secretary of Foreign Affairs July 1784, which position he held until the establishment of the Federal Government in 1789; appointed the first Chief Justice of the United States by President Washington September 26, 1789, and served until June 29, 1795, when he resigned; unsuccessful Federal candidate for Governor of New York in 1792; appointed Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Great Britain April 19, 1794, and served until April 8, 1795, still retaining his position as Chief Justice of the United States; Governor of New York 1795-1801; declined reelection and also a reappointment as Chief Justice of the United States; retired to his farm at Bedford, near New York City, where he died May 17, 1829; interment in the family burying ground at Rye, N.Y.

<p>John Jay (December 12, 1745 – May 17, 1829) was an American statesman, patriot, diplomat, Founding Father, abolitionist, negotiator, and signatory of the Treaty of Paris of 1783. 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.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>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 enslaved people as late as 1800. In the waning days of President John Adams's 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.</p>