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People of the Revolutionary War | Patriots of the American Revolution | John Jay
John Jay
1745-1829
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Statesman
A New York lawyer, John Jay served in the First and Second Continental Congresses, and
in 1779 he was appointed minister plenipotentiary to Spain. He was
one of the negotiators of the Treaty
of Paris, which ended the American Revolution. On a visit to
London he commissioned the young American artist Gilbert Stuart to
paint his portrait. There were to be two versions, one for himself,
and the other a gift for his political ally William Bingham. Stuart,
however, finished only the heads, and the portraits were later
completed by another American artist, John Trumbull. After Stuart
arrived in New York in 1793, he painted a new portrait of Jay as
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Jay served as Chief Justice
until he was elected governor of New York in 1795.
John Jay in Madrid
Elected President of the Continental Congress
at age 32, John Jay was a bright and capable lawyer from a well-to-do
New York merchant family. On September 27, 1779, Jay was appointed
Minister to the Spanish Court and entrusted with the task of obtaining
support for the American cause and recognition of American independence.
There were reasons to hope that Jay might succeed. The monarchies of
Spain and France were linked together by the Bourbon Family Compact.
Spain had long-standing colonial grievances against Great Britain,
especially British control of the strategic Mediterranean fortress of
Gibraltar. On April 12, 1779, Spain secretly agreed to join France in
waging war on the British, but unlike the French, the Spanish
declaration of war on June 21, 1779, did not include recognition of
American independence or agreement to fight Britain until America was
independent. Still Jay seemed the ideal candidate to win over the court
at Madrid to the American cause. Tall, slender, well spoken, and with a
streak of stubborn determination, Jay spent over 2 frustrating years in
Madrid. He was effectively cut off from the court, existing in good part
upon occasional, grudging donations from the principal Spanish minister,
the Conde de Floridablanca. Although no friend to Britain, Floridablanca
worried about American claims to lands west of the Appalachians and
navigation rights on the Mississippi River and feared that the flames of
the American revolution might spread to Spanish colonies in the
Americas. Although Jay failed with Spain, he became a Peace Commissioner
in Paris. He helped to negotiate the peace with Great Britain ending the
War for Independence. After the war, Jay declined the post of Minister
to Great Britain, but accepted the draft of the Continental Congress to
become its Secretary of Foreign Affairs responsible for the foreign
relations of the new American nation.
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