Curtis Fletcher, age 16, of Dayton, Ohio, for his question:

WHAT DID JOHN JAY DO?

John Jay was a distinguished statesman during the early days of the United States. He was the first to serve as chief justice of the United States.

Along with Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, Jay helped negotiate the treaty of peace with England at the end of the Revolutionary War. He also helped Alexander Hamilton and James Madison get the Constitution ratified, and wrote some of the articles in The Federalist.

The Jay Treaty, also known as Jay's Treaty and the Treaty of London of 1794,[1] between the United States and Great Britain averted war, solved many issues left over from the American Revolution, and opened ten years of largely peaceful trade in the midst of the French Revolutionary Wars. It was highly contested by Jeffersonians but passed Congress and became a central issue in the formation of the First Party System. The treaty was signed in November 1794, but was not proclaimed in effect until February 29, 1796.

Jay was born in New York City in 1745 and was graduated from King's College, which is now Columbia University. He studied law and was New York's representative to the First and Second Continental Congress.

For a time Jay was minister to Spain and he helped frame the Treaty of Paris of 1783.

Washington appointed Jay Chief Justice and he served in this position from 1790 to 1795, resigning to become governor of New York.

Jay had a quick mind and skill in diplomacy. He understood what was necessary to keep the nation going during its difficult early years, and he had the courage to make unpopular decisions when they were necessary.