Under-appreciated Political Integrity and Revolutionary Era Contributions

First time author and lawyer Walter Stahr presents a strong case that New Yorker John Jay is one of he most under-appreciated revolutionary leaders. Despite not signing the Declaration of Independence nor the US Constitution, Jay was instrumental in negotiating the 1783 Treaty of Paris ending the American Revolution. Later in life, John Adams, a first-person observer credited Jay with the treaty’s favorable terms. Likewise Jay was the principal drafter of the 1777 New York State Constitution and made valuable contributions to the 1787 US Constitution. In Washington’s administration, Jay served as a chief justice of the Supreme Court and negotiated the eponymous 1796 treaty with the British which avoided war. While Stahr points out Jay’s contributions, he also highlights several character flaws. Jay descended from a French Huguenot family and retained a strong prejudice against the Catholic faith. The author also points out that Jay founded the New York Manumission Society while owning enslaved people.

While not a flaw, after serving two terms as New York’s governor, Jay retreated to a rural Bedford, NY farm, intensely reflecting on his religious beliefs with few correspondents. He did not attempt to burnish his image and highlight his contributions through memoirs or letters as did other revolutionaries.

While today, Jay’s name is relatively unknown, he formed deep relationship and earned the respect of the most influential founders including George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. With the exception of James Madison, Jay was most successful in “working across the aisle” with those of different opinions. Stahr ends with Jay’s most important contribution. When Hamilton asked Governor Jay to change the way the New York legislature assigns its votes in the electoral college to favor John Adams, he refused to make post hoc changes preserving a fair election.

I recommend Stahr’s biography to all those interested in reading about a highly accomplished politician with high integrity who worried more about making contributions rather than fame or pecuniary rewards.

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After his Jay biography, Stahr authored three biographies of Abraham Lincoln’s cabinet: William Henry Seward (2012), Edwin Stanton (2017) and Salmon Chase (2022). He is working on a fifth book, a life of William Howard Taft.