John Jay

John Jay (1745–1829) was born in New York City, practiced law, and served in both Continental Congresses, as their president in 1778–79. He helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris that ended the Revolutionary War, wrote five of the Federalist essays, and became the first Chief Justice of the United States in 1789. He later negotiated the 1794 treaty with Britain that bears his name and served two terms as Governor of New York, where he signed the state's gradual abolition of slavery into law.