Penguin.com (usa)
About John Jay
Books by John Jay

John Jay

About John Jay

An Interview with John Jay

More About John Jay
directory email print
John Jay (1745-1829) served the new nation in both law and diplomacy and established important judicial precedents as first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. A New York attorney from 1768, he won a wide reputation with The Address to the People of Great Britain, which stated the claims of the colonists. He did not sign the Declaration of Independence in 1776 but helped to ensure its approval in New York. In 1789 he was appointed the first U.S. Chief Justice and shaped the Supreme Court procedures. The Jay Treaty of 1794 with Great Britain made him unpopular, and his hopes of succeeding Washington as President faded. After a spell as Governor of New York he retired to a farm, where he spent twenty-seven uneventful years. Find Books by John Jay

Sign Up
  • Penguin Newsletter

Sign up for the Penguin newsletter here»

Send this page to a friend

Find us on Facebook

Find Penguin Group (USA) on Facebook

Visit us on Facebook for polls, interactive quizzes, and more great stuff!

Rules of Civility
$26.95 | buy now

Rules of Civility

Amor Towles

Set in New York City in 1938, this is a sophisticated and entertaining debut novel about an irresistible young woman with an uncommon sense of purpose. Read an excerpt. Listen to a podcast.