John Jay

John Jay (December 12, 1745 – May 17, 1829) was an American politician, statesman, revolutionary, diplomat and jurist. He is noted for serving with Benjamin Franklin and John Adams in France and writing part of the Federalist Papers with Alexander Hamilton and James Madison. He also is remembered for serving on the U.S. Supreme Court as the first, as well as the youngest Chief Justice of the United States, from 1789 to 1794.

Chief Justice

In 1789, George Washington nominated Jay as the first Chief Justice of the United States. Jay's most notable case was Chisholm v. Georgia (1793), in which Jay and the court affirmed the subordination of the states to the federal government. Unfavorable reaction to the decision led to adoption of the Eleventh Amendment which denied federal courts authority in suits by citizens against a state.

Related Topics:
1789 - George Washington - Chief Justice of the United States - Chisholm v. Georgia (1793) - Eleventh Amendment

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In 1794, Washington sent Jay as a special envoy to Great Britain to negotiate a new treaty and thereby avert war. The treaty he returned with was known as the Jay Treaty. Jay thought, and Washington agreed, that it was the best treaty he could negotiate, and it was signed by Washington and ratified by the Senate (albeit with reservations and amendments). Nonetheless, unfavorable reaction to the treaty made Jay so unpopular that he once commented that he could travel from Boston to Philadelphia solely by the light of his burning effigies. It certainly ruined Jay's chances for the presidency.

Related Topics:
1794 - Great Britain - Jay Treaty - Boston - Philadelphia

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