John Jay: Founding Father

John Jay [1745-1829] has long deserved a full-length scholarly biography and here he receives one that does honor to subject and author alike. First-time author Walter Stahr, a practicing attorney specializing in international law, has done prodigious work in the original sources and the scholarly literature and presents his findings capably and responsibly. He blends rigorous scholarship with clear and direct prose. His work deserves a wide and grateful audience. I have one caveat. Having worked on John Jay myself, I respectfully dissent from Mr. Stahr's argument that historians have neglected Jay because of his religious and political conservatism. I think, rather, that there are three major reasons for the previous neglect of Jay. First, until the great body of his papers found a home at Columbia University, thanks to the labors of Richard B. Morris, the sources needed for a fuller understanding of Jay and his career were not readily available, and the availability of sources often shapes the kinds and varieties of scholarship that historians and biographers can undertake. Second, by one of those unfortunate historical accidents, Jay was not a signer of either the Declaration of Independence [indeed, he was a reluctant revolutionary until 4 July 1776] or the Constitution of the United States. Signers and Framers tend to get more attention from later writers than those who were neither signers nor framers. Third, not only Jay but all members of the early [pre-1801] Supreme Court have been eclipsed by the titanic figure of John Marshall. In any event, Stahr's biography should spark a reconsideration of Jay's life and career and a re-evaluation of his place in the establishment of the United States.

Stahr's book on John Jay is absolutely first-rate. Surprisingly, Stahr mentions that it has been almost 70 years since someone has done a full biography on Jay. This makes the book all that more appreciated. In short, although Jay was not as important and revered and talked about as Washington, Jefferson, and Hamilton, he clearly played a major part in launching this nation for over 25 years, so much so, that one wonders how he slipped under the radar screen. Here goes....He was a member of the Continental Congress in 1774 and 1775, and was President of it in 1779. He lead the peace negotiation in 1782-3 at Paris which resulted in a very favorable treay for the US. From 1784 till 1790 he was Secretary of Foreign Affairs for the Confederacy, but more importantly, during this most fragile period in our history when most of the members failed to attend and rotated out after one year, he gave continuity and competency to the new national government. He was the most important figure in getting a very reluctant New York State to approve the new Constitution. He was the nation's first Supreme Court Chief Justice. He was governor of New York State for two terms. There's more. Furthermore, everyone in his times and now agrees that he handled all these tasks with competency to a fault, being admired by friends and opponents alike. Like Hamilton, he was a person who got things done, but, unlike Hamilton, he seemed to get along with everyone. The writing and research are great. One gets not only a feeling for who Jay was as a person, but also what his place in history is. It's not a profound book or a book that comes to new conclusions and insights, but a book that exposes Jay's life for what he did and what he was worth. It brings together Jay's lifelong multitude of accomplishments. From the cover jacket, the author appears to be a lawyer/novice at writing books. Great first effort! I'd have to say that this is probably a book for people who already know something about the beginnings of the United States and are looking to fill in the gaps. Jay was clearly a team player, and this book focuses on Jay and not the overall picture. Lastly, several years ago I visited the Jay homestead in Rye, New York. It's a beautiful piece of land by the water. Apparently the building itself just barely escaped the wrecking ball, hard to believe. I'd recommend a visit.

When you hear or read about the Founding Fathers, the same names pop up time and again: Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Franklin, Hamilton and Madison. In sports terms, this was the starting lineup for the Revolutionary Era. You can't win, however, without a good bench, and among the 18th century second-stringers, John Jay was an important player. What did Jay do? For starters, he was the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and although he was not spectacular in the role, he did set a few precedents. In addition, after leaving the post to become Governor of New York, he was re-offered the position by John Adams; when Jay declined resuming the post, Adams turned to John Marshall, who wound up being the most important Chief Justice of them all. Jay also served as a President of the Continental Congress, so in a very limited way, he was the chief executive of the early United States. He also participated in the treaty with Britain that ended the Revolution, served as Secretary of Foreign Affairs in the pre-Constitutional era, and was one of the authors of the Federalist papers. Although not a delegate in the Constitutional Convention, he actively campaigned for ratification and did contribute a couple of big ideas to the document: the Supremacy Clause (acknowledging treaties and the Constitution as the supreme law of the land) and the provision limited the Presidency to natural-born citizens (a topical item considering the drive by some who see Arnold Schwarzenegger as a possible President). Walter Stahr's competent if unspectacular biography of Jay is quite readable and shines a light on this somewhat obscure political figure. Stahr's main failing (and it is generally a minor one) is that his affection for his subject sometimes affects his objectivity, leading him to explain Jay's actions. This is no hagiography, however, and Stahr does occasionally put Jay under a harsher light. For most people, John Jay is like Gouverneur Morris, John Hancock or Patrick Henry: a man who is more or less in the background of the stories of other figures without ever really being defined beyond a few scant details. Stahr, however, shows that this particular second-stringer was a most important utility player. Although the book is not perfect, it gets a full five stars for overall quality and the fact that it provides illumination on a generally neglected historical figure.

Except for the occassional crossword puzzle or question on Jeopardy, John Jay has been largely forgotten. His resume would fit right in with Adams, Jefferson, Hamilton and the others, but he was not president, he was not a signer of the Declaration of Independence. In fact, he did not initially favor independence from Britain. Yet, once the revolution was started, he was an ardent supporter of the new nation. In 1782 he, along with Adams and Franklin negeotiated the peace treaty with England. When he returned he found that he had been appointed Secretary of State. In 1789 Washington sent Congress a list of appointments to the new Supreme Court, with Jay as the first chief justice. As chief justice the Jay court established the court as a reasoned and honorable institution that carries forth many of the traditions that he established. After six years he retired from the court, and Washington immediately sent him to England to negeotiate a new treaty clarifying certain points of the 1782 treaty. While he was in England he was elected to be Governor of New York, where he served for two terms. Considering the quality of leadership he exhibited in New York, perhaps we should consider sending all politicians overseas somewhere while we hold elections. This is a splended book and well deserves a place alongside the recent spat of books we've had on our founding fathers.

This is a wonderfully-written biography of one of the Founding Fathers who has been more or less forgotten. Read this book to understand why John Jay deserves a place in the pantheon of America's origins. Walter Stahr writes with passion and understanding and this book compares very well to Chernow's Alexander Hamilton bio and McCullough's John Adams. It's hard to imagine how someone of Jay's immense talent and impact has not been written about before now. This is highly recommended.