John Jay (lawyer)

John Jay
U.S. Minister to Austria-Hungary
In office June 1, 1869 (1869-06-01) – March 31, 1875 (1875-03-31)
President	Ulysses S. Grant
Preceded by	Henry M. Watts
Succeeded by	Godlove S. Orth
Personal details
Born	(1817-06-23)June 23, 1817 New York City, U.S.
Died	May 5, 1894(1894-05-05) (aged 76) New York City, U.S.
Political party	Free Soil Republican
Relations	John Jay (grandfather) John Jay Chapman (grandson)
Children	6, including William
Parents	William Jay Augusta McVickar Jay
Alma mater	Columbia College
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John Jay (June 23, 1817 – May 5, 1894) was an American lawyer and diplomat to Austria-Hungary, serving from 1869 to 1875. He was the son of William Jay and a grandson of John Jay, a former Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Jay was active in the anti-slavery movement, elected president of the New York Young Men's Antislavery Society while still in college. He published several speeches and pamphlets on slavery and history, and was elected in 1889 as president of the American Historical Association.

Jay defended numerous fugitive slaves in court and helped several gain freedom. In 1852, Jay led a team of attorneys in New York City in Lemmon v. New York, gaining the freedom of eight Virginia slaves brought to New York by their owners in transit to Texas. The ruling survived appeals through the state courts. In 1854, Jay was among the founders of the Republican Party in the United States. In 1883, he was appointed as the Republican member of the New York Civil Service Commission, founded to reduce patronage and corruption in government, and later was selected as its president.