杰伊(1745～1829年)

Jay, John

美国法学家，为美国最高法院的第一任首席法官。为纽约市着名律师，原本赞同与英国和解协商，但是不久即坚决支持革命。1777年当选为纽约州第一任首席法官。1778年当选为大陆会议主席。他协助富兰克林与英国磋商和平条约，之後担任外交事务的秘书（1784～1790）。他认为需要一个强大的中央政府，故促请修订美国宪法。他以Publius的笔名与麦迪逊、汉弥尔顿一起在报纸上发表了「联邦党人」论文，以解释宪法的重要。1789年被任命为美国最高法院第一任首席法官後，他建立了司法判例，确立州政府应服从联邦政府的判决。1794年赴英谈判一项协调英美众多商务纠纷的条约，即「杰伊条约」。此约避免了英美重启战争，但被杰佛逊共和党人斥为太过亲英。1795年辞去法官职务，但後来又当选为纽约州长（1795～1801）。

English version：

1745～1829年

Jay, John

U.S. jurist, first chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Born in New York City, he practiced law there. He initially favored reconciliation with Britain, but soon became a staunch supporter of independence. He was elected New York's first chief justice in 1777 and was chosen president of the Continental Congress. He helped Benjamin Franklin negotiate terms for a peace treaty with Britain and then served as secretary for foreign affairs (1784-90). Convinced of the need for a stronger centralized government, he urged ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Under the pseudonym Publius, he joined with James Madison and Alexander Hamilton to write essays for The Federalist explaining the Constitution's importance. In 1789 he was appointed the first chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, where he set legal precedent in affirming subordination of the states to the federal government. In 1794 he was sent to Britain to negotiate a treaty dealing with numerous commercial disputes. The Jay Treaty helped avert war, but Jeffersonian Republicans criticized it as too pro-British. Jay resigned from the court in 1795 and was elected governor of New York (1795-1801).