John Jay was a multitalented Founding Father who served for decades in different roles during America’s infancy. In baseball parlance, he was a utility infielder, working a variety of vital positions as needed.
A native New Yorker, Jay co-authored the Federalist Papers with James Madison and Alexander Hamilton; served as U.S. minister to Spain during the Revolutionary War; held the title of secretary of foreign affairs for five years; was the first chief justice of the Supreme Court; and successfully negotiated the Jay Treaty with Great Britain, helping avert war and facilitating a decade of peaceful trade.
