Peter Augustus Jay
Encyclopedia
Peter Augustus Jay was the eldest son of New York's only native Founding Father, John Jay
. Peter was one of 6 children born to John Jay and Sarah Livingston Jay, and one of 2 boys (brother William
was born in 1789) with 4 sisters: Susan (born and died in 1780); Maria (b. 1782), Ann (b. 1783) and Sarah Louisa (b. 1792).
. Notably following his graduation in 1794, Peter Augustus acted as private secretary to his father in London for the Jay Treaty
.
The young Jay studied law and established a practice in New York City with his cousin Peter Jay Munro, carrying on a family tradition of public service. He married Mary Rutherfurd Clarkson, daughter of General Matthew Clarkson
, in 1807 and they had 8 children.
From 1812 to 1817, Peter Augustus Jay helped found the Bank for Savings (thereby contributing to the establishment of the New York State savings bank system). As a Federalist, he was a member from New York City of the New York State Assembly
in 1816, during which time he was active in arranging the financing for the construction of the Erie Canal
. He ran many times for Congress, but was always defeated by the Democratic-Republican candidates. From 1819 to 1821, he was Recorder of New York City
. He was a delegate from Westchester Co. to the New York State Constitutional Convention of 1821. He helped found the New York Law Institute in 1828, which today is the oldest law library in New York City. Jay was President of New York Hospital (1827–1833), Chairman of the Board of Trustees, King's College and President of the New York Historical Society (1840–1842). For a time he was also a Westchester County Judge.
in 1816 and President of the New York Public School Society which was anti-slavery and concerned with greater humanitarianism towards the poor.
Jay is best known for giving a speech in 1821 at the New York State Constitutional Convention as a delegate arguing that the right to vote should be extended to free African Americans. Despite his impassioned argument, Jay's motion for extending suffrage was overruled.
The 1838 Peter Augustus Jay House
is a National Historic Landmark
as well as a Save America's Treasures
Project; NHL designation is the highest recognition conferred by the US government for a historic site—out of more than 80,000 places on the National Register, only about 2,430 are NHLs. The Jay mansion is currently being preserved and restored by the non-profit organization, the Jay Heritage Center, for use as an educational center with programs in American History. In November 2008, it became the first NHL structure in Westchester County and the oldest NHL in New York State to be fitted with a geothermal heating and cooling system.
Peter Augustus Jay and John Jay's leadership roles in the abolition
of slavery are regularly examined in a program at the Jay Heritage Center called "Striving for Freedom." It is because of this legacy of social justice that the Jay site was added to the Westchester County African American Heritage Trail in 2004.
John Jay
John Jay was an American politician, statesman, revolutionary, diplomat, a Founding Father of the United States, and the first Chief Justice of the United States ....
. Peter was one of 6 children born to John Jay and Sarah Livingston Jay, and one of 2 boys (brother William
William Jay (jurist)
William Jay was an American reformer and jurist, the son of John Jay .-Biography:He was born in New York City, graduated at Yale in 1808, and then studied law at Albany, though poor eyesight soon compelled him to give up the profession...
was born in 1789) with 4 sisters: Susan (born and died in 1780); Maria (b. 1782), Ann (b. 1783) and Sarah Louisa (b. 1792).
Biography
Peter Augustus Jay was born at "Liberty Hall," in 1776, at the home of his grandparents', the Livingstons, in Elizabethtown, New Jersey. Like his father, he graduated from King's College, the precursor of Columbia UniversityColumbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. Notably following his graduation in 1794, Peter Augustus acted as private secretary to his father in London for the Jay Treaty
Jay Treaty
Jay's Treaty, , also known as Jay's Treaty, The British Treaty, and the Treaty of London of 1794, was a treaty between the United States and Great Britain that is credited with averting war,, resolving issues remaining since the Treaty of Paris of 1783, which ended the American Revolution,, and...
.
The young Jay studied law and established a practice in New York City with his cousin Peter Jay Munro, carrying on a family tradition of public service. He married Mary Rutherfurd Clarkson, daughter of General Matthew Clarkson
Matthew Clarkson
Matthew Clarkson was an American Revolutionary War soldier and a politician in New York State United States. The town of Clarkson in Western New York was named after him. He was a great uncle of Thomas S...
, in 1807 and they had 8 children.
From 1812 to 1817, Peter Augustus Jay helped found the Bank for Savings (thereby contributing to the establishment of the New York State savings bank system). As a Federalist, he was a member from New York City of the New York State Assembly
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
in 1816, during which time he was active in arranging the financing for the construction of the Erie Canal
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...
. He ran many times for Congress, but was always defeated by the Democratic-Republican candidates. From 1819 to 1821, he was Recorder of New York City
Recorder of New York City
The Recorder of New York City was a municipal officer of New York City from 1683 until the early 20th century. He was at times a judge of the Court of General Sessions, of the Court of Special Sessions, and the New York Court of Common Pleas; Vice-President of the Board of Supervisors of New York...
. He was a delegate from Westchester Co. to the New York State Constitutional Convention of 1821. He helped found the New York Law Institute in 1828, which today is the oldest law library in New York City. Jay was President of New York Hospital (1827–1833), Chairman of the Board of Trustees, King's College and President of the New York Historical Society (1840–1842). For a time he was also a Westchester County Judge.
Peter Augustus Jay and Manumission
Jay shared his father's commitment to social justice and actively pursued greater rights for African Americans. In his commitment to reform, he served as President of the New York Manumission SocietyNew York Manumission Society
The New York Manumission Society was an early American organization founded in 1785 to promote the abolition of the slavery of African descendants within the state of New York. The organization was made up entirely of white men, most of whom were wealthy and held influential positions in society...
in 1816 and President of the New York Public School Society which was anti-slavery and concerned with greater humanitarianism towards the poor.
Jay is best known for giving a speech in 1821 at the New York State Constitutional Convention as a delegate arguing that the right to vote should be extended to free African Americans. Despite his impassioned argument, Jay's motion for extending suffrage was overruled.
1838 Peter Augustus Jay House
Peter Augustus legally received the Jay Property in Rye from his father in 1822 though original account records show that he and his wife Mary were handling household expenses as for the Rye estate as early as 1814. Under his father's aegis, Peter Augustus installed European styled stone ha-has on the property and planted elm trees. His father John Jay died in 1829. In 1836, Peter Augustus contracted with a builder, Edwin Bishop, to take down the failing farmhouse that had been barraged by the British during the Revolutionary War. Reusing structural elements from "The Locusts" where his father grew up as a boy, Peter Augustus Jay helped create the Greek Revival mansion that stands there today. Unfortunately his wife Mary would not live to see the house completed, as she died in Madeira on December 24, 1838. Peter Augustus Jay died in 1843 and the Rye house passed to his son, John Clarkson Jay.The 1838 Peter Augustus Jay House
1838 Peter Augustus Jay House
The 1838 Peter Augustus Jay House and surrounding Jay Property form the centerpiece of the National Historic Landmark Boston Post Road Historic District. This historic district is the surviving remnant of the Jay estate where New York State's only native born Founding Father, John Jay, grew up...
is a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
as well as a Save America's Treasures
Save America's Treasures
Save America's Treasures is a United States Federal initiative to preserve and protect American historic buildings, arts, and published works. It is a public-private partnership between the U.S. National Park Service and the National Trust for Historic Preservation...
Project; NHL designation is the highest recognition conferred by the US government for a historic site—out of more than 80,000 places on the National Register, only about 2,430 are NHLs. The Jay mansion is currently being preserved and restored by the non-profit organization, the Jay Heritage Center, for use as an educational center with programs in American History. In November 2008, it became the first NHL structure in Westchester County and the oldest NHL in New York State to be fitted with a geothermal heating and cooling system.
Peter Augustus Jay and John Jay's leadership roles in the abolition
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
of slavery are regularly examined in a program at the Jay Heritage Center called "Striving for Freedom." It is because of this legacy of social justice that the Jay site was added to the Westchester County African American Heritage Trail in 2004.
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in New York, 1806United States House of Representatives elections in New York, 1806The 1806 United States House of Representatives elections in New York were held from April 29 to May 1, 1806, to elect 17 U.S. Representatives to represent the State of New York in the United States House of Representatives of the 10th United States Congress....
- United States House of Representatives elections in New York, 1810United States House of Representatives elections in New York, 1810The 1810 United States House of Representatives elections in New York were held from April 24 to 26, 1810, to elect 17 U.S. Representatives to represent the State of New York in the United States House of Representatives of the 12th United States Congress. At the same time, a vacancy was filled in...
- United States House of Representatives elections in New York, 1812United States House of Representatives elections in New York, 1812The 1812 United States House of Representatives elections in New York were held from December 15 to 17, 1812, to elect 27 U.S. Representatives to represent the State of New York in the United States House of Representatives of the 13th United States Congress. At the same time, a vacancy was filled...
External links
- Official Site-Jay Heritage Center
- 1838 Peter Augustus Jay House1838 Peter Augustus Jay HouseThe 1838 Peter Augustus Jay House and surrounding Jay Property form the centerpiece of the National Historic Landmark Boston Post Road Historic District. This historic district is the surviving remnant of the Jay estate where New York State's only native born Founding Father, John Jay, grew up...
- Westchester County African American Heritage Trail
- The Papers of John Jay An image database and indexing tool comprising some 13,000 documents scanned chiefly from photocopies of original documents from the Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia University in the City of New York and approximately 90 other institutions.
- Memorials of Peter A. Jay
- Library of Congress-Local Legacies-Jay Heritage Center
- Official Site-Save America's Treasures
- New York Manumission SocietyNew York Manumission SocietyThe New York Manumission Society was an early American organization founded in 1785 to promote the abolition of the slavery of African descendants within the state of New York. The organization was made up entirely of white men, most of whom were wealthy and held influential positions in society...
- Congresswoman Nita Lowey -Press Releases, 8/11/08, "Jay Heritage Center to Become Energy Efficient"
- http://www.nyli.org The New York Law Institute
- The Amiable Children of John and Sarah Livingston Jay
- Peter Augustus Jay (image)