Jay, John
Jay, John( 1745–1829),New York lawyer, statesman, and jurist, was educated at King's College, and, admitted to the bar (1768), practiced in partnership with Robert Livingston. A conservative aristocrat, allied with the commercial class, he opposed separation from England until the Declaration of Independence, but thereafter was a leading supporter of the Revolutionary cause. As a member of the two Continental Congresses, he was the author of the celebrated Address to the People of Great Britain (1774) and of appeals to Canada, Jamaica, and Ireland to join in the rebellion (1775). He helped to draw up the New York state constitution, and served as chief justice of the state, and later as governor (1795–1801). His federal appointments included minister to Spain (1780–82); peace commissioner to England (1782); secretary of foreign affairs (1784–89); and first chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1789–95). His five essays in...
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