John Jay

1745-12-12 - 1829-05-17 Contemporaries

John Jay (1745–1829) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father who signed the Treaty of Paris. He served as the first Chief Justice of the United States from 1789 to 1795 and as the second governor of New York from 1795 to 1801. Jay directed U.S. foreign policy for much of the 1780s and was a leader of the Federalist Party after ratification of the Constitution.