John Jay (lawyer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Jay
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| U.S. Minister to Austria-Hungary | |
| In office June 1, 1869 – March 31, 1875 |
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| President | Ulysses S. Grant |
| Preceded by | Henry M. Watts |
| Succeeded by | Godlove S. Orth |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 23, 1817 New York City, New York |
| Died | May 5, 1894 (aged 76) New York City, New York |
| Political party | |
| Relations |
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| Children | 6, including William |
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| Alma mater | Columbia College |
| Signature |  |
John Jay (born June 23, 1817 – died May 5, 1894) was an American lawyer and a diplomat. He served as the United States Minister to Austria-Hungary from 1869 to 1875. John Jay came from a famous family. His father was William Jay, a judge. His grandfather was John Jay, who was the first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
John Jay was very active in the movement to end slavery. He became president of the New York Young Men's Antislavery Society while still in college. He wrote many speeches and articles about slavery and history. In 1889, he was chosen as the president of the American Historical Association.
Jay helped many enslaved people gain their freedom in court. In 1852, he led a team of lawyers in a famous case called Lemmon v. New York. This case helped eight enslaved people from Virginia become free in New York. The court's decision was upheld even after many appeals. In 1854, Jay also helped start the Republican Party. Later, in 1883, he joined the New York Civil Service Commission. This group worked to make government jobs fairer and reduce corruption. He later became its president.
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Early Life and Education
John Jay was born in 1817 in New York City. His father, William Jay, was a lawyer and later a judge. His mother was Augusta McVickar Jay.
Young John went to a respected school called Dr. William A. Muhlenberg's Institute. He graduated from Columbia College in 1836. Three years later, he became a lawyer after studying law.
John Jay's Fight for Freedom
John Jay became very interested in the movement to end slavery. His father and grandfather also strongly believed in ending slavery.
In 1834, while still in college, Jay became the president of the New York Young Men's Antislavery Society. He was also active in the Free Soil Party. This party opposed the spread of slavery into new U.S. territories. Jay led several of their meetings and was once a candidate for Attorney General of New York.
Helping Enslaved People
As a lawyer in New York City, John Jay helped many enslaved people. He represented them in court cases called "freedom suits." These cases aimed to prove that a person should be free. He helped George Kirk and three Brazilians gain their freedom. These individuals had escaped slavery with help from the Underground Railroad.
However, not all cases were successful. In 1851, Jay defended Henry Long. Long had been living free in New York for several years. His former owner from Virginia sued to get him back under the new Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. This law made it easier for slave owners to reclaim escaped enslaved people. Many people in New York were very upset by this law. Despite Jay's defense, the judge ruled that Long had to return to Virginia. He was then sold and forced to work on a cotton plantation.
The Lemmon Case: A Big Win
In 1852, John Jay led a team of lawyers in a very important "freedom suit." This case was known as Lemmon v. New York. Eight enslaved people from Virginia were brought to New York City by their owners. The owners were traveling to Texas and stopped in New York. However, New York had a law that said enslaved people brought into the state by their owners would become free.
A group of activists, both Black and white, watched for such situations. They helped alert the authorities. An activist named Louis Napoleon helped get a court order to bring the enslaved people before a judge. John Jay, along with Erastus D. Culver and the young Chester A. Arthur (who later became a U.S. president), defended them. The court ruled that the enslaved people were free. This decision was upheld through two appeals in New York state courts. The case was never heard by the U.S. Supreme Court because the Civil War began.
Founding the Republican Party
In 1854, Jay helped organize important political meetings in New York City. The next year, he played a key role in starting the Republican Party. This party was formed to oppose the expansion of slavery.
Serving His Country Abroad
President Ulysses S. Grant chose John Jay to be the United States Minister to the Austria-Hungary empire. A "Minister" is like an ambassador, representing their country in another nation. Jay served in this role from 1869 to 1875.
Later, in 1877, he was asked to lead a special group. This group investigated how Chester A. Arthur managed the New York Custom House. In 1883, Governor Grover Cleveland appointed Jay to the New York Civil Service Commission. Jay later became the president of this commission.
Jay also wrote many speeches and pamphlets. These writings covered topics like slavery and other important issues. He wrote a biography about his famous grandfather, John Jay, for a book called Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. In 1889, he was elected president of the American Historical Association.
Family Life
In 1837, John Jay married Eleanor Kingsland Field. She was the daughter of a well-known merchant in New York City. John and Eleanor had six children together:
- Eleanor Jay (1839–1921), who married Henry Grafton Chapman Jr. He was the president of the New York Stock Exchange.
- William Jay (1841–1915), who married Lucie Oelrichs.
- John S. Jay (1842–1843), who sadly died very young.
- Augusta Jay (1844–1878), who married Edmund Randolph Robinson.
- Mary Jay (1846–1916), who married William Henry Schieffelin.
- Anna Jay (1849–1925), who married General Hans Lothar von Schweinitz. He was the German Ambassador to St. Petersburg.
John Jay passed away on May 5, 1894, in Manhattan. He was 76 years old. He was buried in the John Jay Cemetery in Rye, New York. This cemetery was created for his grandfather and is owned by his family.
His Writings
John Jay wrote several important works, including:
- "America Free, or America Slave" (1856)
- "The Church and the Rebellion" (1863)
- "On the Passage of the Constitutional Amendment abolishing Slavery" (1864)
- "Rome in America" (1868)
- "The American Foreign Service" (1877)
