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John Jay's Birth
John Jay was born on December 12th, 1745, in New York City, into a wealthy family. -
Attends Kings College
John Jay attended the prestigious Kings College, now known as Columbia University, for 4 years. It was in these four years that Jay met many individuals who influenced his ways of thinking. Also, during his time at King's College, he became a Whig, a decision that would later influence his political views. -
Attended First Continental Congress
At just 28 years old, Jay attended the first Continental Congress, as the second youngest member. At this point, Jay wasn't an extremely influential political figure, but during this first congressional meeting, he wrote the Address to the People of Great Britain, that showed his opinion on reconciliation with Britain. Jay retired from Congress in 1776, without signing the Declaration of Independence. -
Writes New York Constitution
On April 20th of 1777 in Kingston, New York, the state Constitution was adopted. This document was primarily written by Jay, and discussed topics such as a state senate. The document was read and adopted with a vote of 32-1. -
Elected President of Continental Congress
In 1778 John Jay was elected president of the Continental Congress. Eight states voted for Jay, and four states voted for Henry Laurens of South Carolina, a wealthy slaveholder who has served as the Congress’s previous president. -
Negotiated Treaty of Paris
Along with Ben Franklin and John Adams, Jay helped to create the Treaty of Paris. This treaty, negotiated between the United States and Great Britain, ended the revolutionary war and recognized American independence. -
Wrote Federalists Papers
Jay, along with many other political figures, believed that a new form of government was needed; one that was different from the state supporting Articles of Confederation. He, along with James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, wrote a series of essays called the Federalist Papers. These essays were written to convince others to support the ratification of the Constitution. -
First Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
In 1789, John Jay became the first ever Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, during Washington's presidency. During his time on the bench, Jay is best know for his case of Chisholm v. Georgia, the first significant case in the Supreme Court. The outcome of this case led to creation of the 11th amendment of the Constitution. -
Governor of New York
While negotiating Jay's Treaty in Britain, Jay was elected as the governor of his home state, New York. He left the Supreme Court to take office and served as governor for six year. -
Jay's Treaty
In 1795, Jay was sent to Britain to negotiate and resolve the British seizure of American ships. After Jay's negotiation, a treaty was signed called the Jay Treaty. This was unpopular among American's becuase it ended up giving Britain more rights, but was passed in Congress becuase it ultimately prevented the US from fighting a war that they could not win. -
Election of 1800
In 1800, Jay ran for the Presidency, but was beat out by the top candidates, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. Jefferson won the election, and Jay received only one electoral vote (Rhode Island) because the Federalists feared a tie, that ended up happening anyway. After the election, Jay retired from politics in 1801. -
John Jay's Death
John Jay died from an unexpected stroke on May 17th of 1829, in Bedford New York.
