JOHN JAY Kevin Boyd

WHO WAS JOHN JAY?  King’s College class of 1764  A founding father of America  Chief justice of the united states  President of the continental congress  Governor of new York state

THE JAY FAMILY  Born on December 12, 1745 in New York City, John was brought up in a wealthy family of merchants and government officials.  His father, Peter Jay, was a highly successful and wealthy trader of furs, timber, and other commodities. His father’s side of the family was a line of wealthy merchants, his paternal grandfather, Augustus Jay, had moved from France to New York after the Edict of Nantes was revoked in 1685, which took away the rights and property of Protestants. Upon arriving in New York, Augustus Jay built up the family’s merchant empire.  John’s mother, Mary Van Cortlandt, along with her brother Frederick, married into the Jay family. Her father, Jacobus Van Cortlandt, who was also a successful merchant, served as the 30 th as well as the 33 rd mayor of New York City. The legacy of Jacobus Van Cortlandt lives on to this day with the plot of land that he purchased up in the Bronx, now known as Van Cortlandt Park.

THE EARLY YEARS  The Jay Family Home  In 1745, Peter Jay built the family’s home in Rye, New York, overlooking the Long Island Sound. This served as John’s childhood home, which he later inherited and gave to his eldest son Peter Augustus Jay.  Education  Until the age of eight years old, John was educated by private tutors, he was then sent to New Rochelle, New York to study under Anglican priest Pierre Stoupe. After three years in New Rochelle, John returned home in 1756 to continue his schooling under the instruction of George Murray. The Peter Augustus Jay House, built over the foundation of his grandfather’s original home

KING’S COLLEGE  In 1760, John Jay arrived at King’s College, where he underwent the classical education of the college, gradating in  At King’s College  John made many important friends, the most influential being Robert Livingston, Jay’s closest friend. Robert was the son of Judge Robert Livingston, who was a very prominent aristocrat in the city of New York and also the Supreme Court Justice.  Robert went on to become one of our Founding Father’s, Minister of Finance, and the first Chancellor of New York. Robert Livingston

POST KING’S COLLEGE  Entrance into Law  After graduating in 1764, John went to work as a law clerk for a sought after teacher in the field of law, Benjamin Kissam.  John studied law for a few years, until in 1771 he was able to create his own law office.  Start of Political Career  In 1774, he became a member of the New York Committee of Correspondence. His first political role was when he became Secretary for the Committee.  Also in 1774, Jay was nominated to serve as a delegate of the first Continental Congress, where he initially sided with those who wished for conciliation with Parliament.  Eventually, violence acts by British troops swayed Jay to support independence, and upon the beginning of the Revolutionary War, he had become a Patriot and worked toward helping the revolutionary cause. The first Continental Congress

PERSONAL LIFE- MARRIAGE  Personal Life….  On April 28, 1774, John Jay married Sarah Van Brugh Livingston.  Leads to Professional Connections  Sarah Livingston was the daughter of the Governor of New Jersey, William Livingston.  Jay’s marriage gave him important connections with a politically powerful colonial family.  Livingston was a signer of the United States Constitution, and was continually re-elected Governor of New Jersey until his death in William Livingston Sarah Van Brugh Livingston Jay

THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR  Career Highlights  John had established a good reputation, notably being a delegate to the First and Second Continental Congresses.  On May 8, 1777, New York's Provincial Congress elected Jay the Chief Justice of the New York Supreme Court.  Served as the President of the Continental Congress from December 10, 1778, to September 28,  Helped Benjamin Franklin negotiate the Treaty of Paris, and then later negotiate the Treaty of London of 1794 (Jay Treaty).  Appointed Chief Justice of the United States by George Washington in  Elected Governor of New York in 1795 and served until The Treaty of Paris John Jay

THE FEDERALIST PAPERS  The Need for a Stronger Government  Unhappy with the government in place due to the Articles of Confederation, Jay, along with Alexander Hamilton and James Madison set out to create a stronger, more centralized but balanced system of government.  The three combined to write the Federalist Papers, which were a series of 85 articles, written with the intent to persuade citizens to support and ratify the proposed Constitution of the United States.  The articles of the Federalist Papers were published in The Independent Journal and The New York Packet between October of 1787 and August HamiltonMadison Jay

PERSONAL BELIEFS  Slavery  Even though he owned slaves of his own, Jay maintained a firm stance against slavery. He was a leader in the movement to abolish slavery, after 1777, he drafted a state law for that purpose, it failed however. His second abolition law in 1785 failed as well.  Became founder and president of the New York Manumission Society in The Society put together boycotts against newspapers and merchants who remained involved in the slave trade.  In 1787, the Society founded the African Free School, which served to provide education to children of slaves and those who had their freedom.  As Governor of New York, Jay signed into law An Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery. This act gave children of slaves freedom after they served an indentured period and reached the appropriate age. (28 years for men, 25 for women)  Religion  Member of the Church of England until the Revolutionary War, when he then joined the Protestant Episcopal Church in America.  Warden of Trinity Church in New York since  Served as vice-president (1816–21) and president (1821– 27) of the American Bible Society.

THE JOHN JAY LEGACY  To Name a Few…  Exceptional undergraduates at Columbia University are designated John Jay Scholars.  The United States Postage Service released a 15¢ Liberty Issue postage stamp honoring Jay on December 12, 1958.

SOURCES    Pictures:    University-in-the-City-of-New-York/photos-videos/ University-in-the-City-of-New-York/photos-videos/  nyc.html nyc.html   docusigning-declaration-of-independence-campaign/ docusigning-declaration-of-independence-campaign/  