Family history
The Jays were a prominent merchant family in New York City, descended from Huguenots who had come to New York to escape religious persecution in France. In 1685, the

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On April 28, 1774, Jay married Sarah Van Brugh Livingston, eldest daughter of the New Jersey Governor William Livingston. At the time of the marriage, Sarah was seventeen years old and

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Record on slavery
The Jay family participated significantly in the slave trade, as investors and traders as well as slaveholders. For example, the New York Slavery Records

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Minister to Spain
On September 27, 1779, Jay was appointed Minister to Spain. His mission was to get financial aid,

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Jay believed his responsibility was not matched by a commensurate level of authority, so he joined Alexander Hamilton and James Madisonin advocating for a stronger government than

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In September 1789, Jay declined George Washington's offer of the position of Secretary of State (which was technically a new position but would

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Having established a reputation as a reasonable moderate in New York, Jay was elected to serve as delegate to the First and Second Continental Congresseswhich debated whether the colonies should declare independence. Jay was originally in favor of

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