John Jay : founding father

Format:

Book

Title:

John Jay : founding father

Author:

Stahr, Walter.

ISBN:

9781852854447

Publication Information:

New York : Hambledon and London : Distributed in the U.S. by Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.

Physical Description:

xiv, 482 pages : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm

Contents:

New York -- The law -- Resistance leader -- Revolutionary leader -- President of the Continental Congress -- Minister to Spain -- Peace Commissioner -- American in Paris -- Secretary for Foreign Affairs -- Home and society -- Federalist -- First Chief Justice -- Envoy to England -- Governor of New York -- Retirement.

Summary:

"John Jay was a central figure in the early history of the American Republic. A New York lawyer, born in 1745, Jay served his country with the greatest distinction and was one of the most influential of its Founding Fathers. In the first full-length biography for almost seventy years, Walter Stahr brings Jay to life, setting his astonishing career against the background of the American Revolution." "Drawing on substantial new material, Walter Stahr has written a portrait of both the public and the private man. It is the story not only of John Jay himself, the most prominent native-born New Yorker of the eighteenth century, but also of his engaging and intelligent wife Sarah, who accompanied her husband on his wartime diplomatic missions. This biography presents Jay in the light he deserves: as a major Founding Father, a true national hero and a leading architect of America's future."--Jacket.

Personal Subject:

Jay, John, 1745-1829.

Jay, John, 1745-1829 (OCoLC)fst00040483

Subject(s):

Statesmen -- United States -- Biography.

Judges -- United States -- Biography.

United States -- Politics and government -- 1775-1783.

United States -- Politics and government -- 1783-1865.

Geographic Term:

United States -- Politics and government -- 1775-1783.

United States -- Politics and government -- 1783-1865.

United States.

Genre:

Biographies.

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Salem Main Library	921 Jay, John 2005	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

John Jay was a central figure in the early history of the American Republic. A New York lawyer, born in 1745, Jay served his country with the greatest distinction and was one of the most influential of its Founding Fathers. In the first full-length biography in almost seventy years, Walter Stahr brings Jay vividly to life, setting his astonishing career against the background of the American Revolution.

Drawing on substantial new material, Walter Stahr has written a full and highly readable portrait of both the public and private man. It is the story not only of John Jay himself, the most prominent native-born New Yorker of the eighteenth century, but also of his engaging and intelligent wife, Sarah, who accompanied her husband on his wartime diplomatic missions. This lively and compelling biography presents Jay in the light he deserves: as a major Founding Father, a true national hero, and a leading architect of America's future.

Author Notes

Walter Stahr is an international lawyer for Emerging Markets Partnership in Washington, DC. He lives in Vienna, Virginia.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

The greatest founders-such as Washington and Jefferson-have kept even the greatest of the second tier of the nation's founding generation in the shadows. But now John Jay (1745-1829), arguably the most important of this second group, has found an admiring, skilled student in Stahr, an international lawyer in Washington. D.C. Since the last biography of Jay appeared 60 years ago, a mountain of new knowledge about the early nation has piled up, and Stahr uses it all with confidence and critical detachment. Jay had a remarkable career. He was president of the Continental Congress, secretary of foreign affairs, a negotiator of the treaty that won the United States its independence in 1783, one of three authors of The Federalist Papers, first chief justice of the Supreme Court and governor of his native New York. Very few men exceeded Jay in importance and influence. Yet he presents a problem for any biographer: he was a conservative man of unfailingly sober disposition who left his mark more in significant deeds than in memorable words and commanding decisions. Stahr, however, captures both his subject's seriousness and his thoughtful, affectionate side as son, husband, father and friend. In humanizing Jay, Stahr makes him an appealing figure accessible to a large readership and places Jay once again in the company of America's greatest statesmen, where he unquestionably belongs. B&w illus. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Booklist Review

John Jay's writings lacked Jefferson's passionate eloquence in defense of liberty; his demeanor did not radiate the gravitas of Washington; he apparently did not share Madison's zest for and grasp of political theory. Yet, as this well-done biography illustrates, Jay was a vital figure in the founding of our republic, and he deserves an ample share of credit for the nurturing of our nation in its infancy. Stahr, an international lawyer, has written a fast-paced narrative account of Jay's life that stresses his deep religious connections, strength of moral character, and dedication to duty. By nature, Jay was conservative, and he was a reluctant revolutionary with the usual Federalist fears about unrestrained democracy. As an attorney and as first chief justice of the Supreme Court, he understood implicitly the need for the rule of law to prevail over the tendency to seek salvation from great men. He was a gifted diplomat whose negotiations in Europe helped our vulnerable nation to avoid conflicts with European powers, and he was an effective governor of New York. --Jay Freeman Copyright 2005 Booklist

Founding Father

New York

The Law

Resistance Leader

Revolutionary Leader

President of the Continental Congress

Minister to Spain

Peace Commissioner

American in Paris

Secretary for Foreign Affairs

Home and Society

Federalist

First Chief Justice

Envoy to England

Governor of New York

Retirement

Conclusions

Available:*

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Booklist Review

Table of Contents