Premier John Jay: The Most Important Man in America

John Kaminski’s talk, "Premier John Jay: The Most Important Man in America," delivered at the celebration of the publication of the Selected Papers of John Jay, volume 1, on March 25, 2010, is now available at Columbia University Library’s Academic Commons. "When John Jay returned from France in 1784, the Confederation Congress asked him to […]

Read More…

The Fourth of July

The Jays celebrated the Fourth of July, 1783, at Passy, outside Paris, in the company of Benjamin Franklin and various American and French friends. Franklin began this practice in 1778. The following is an excerpt of a letter from Sarah Livingston Jay to her sister, Kitty Livingston, of 16 July 1783, describing her feelings on […]

Read More…

Bullfight, part 1

The recent moves to ban bullfighting in France and Catalonia brought to mind a letter written by Henry Brockholst Livingston (Sarah Livingston Jay’s brother) to his father William Livingston, on 12 July 1780. Brockholst (as he was known) was in Spain with John Jay, acting as his brother-in-law’s secretary during the Spanish mission (1779-1782). When […]

Read More…

In Celebration of Volume One

March 25, 2010    Michael Ryan, Director of RBML, introduces the program    Jay board member Herb Sloan introduces speaker John Kaminski Speaker John Kaminski John Kaminski and Jay board member, Patricia U. Bonomi Jay board member, Barbara Black, with Columbia graduate student, Ben Lyons Jay board member, Barbara Oberg (left), with editor Betty Nuxoll […]

Read More…

Columbia University Libraries Announces Publication of The Selected Papers of John Jay, Volume 1, 1760–1779

NEW YORK, March 18, 2010 – The Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Columbia University is pleased to announce the publication of The Selected Papers of John Jay, Volume 1, 1760–1779 by the University of Virginia Press, under the general editorship of Elizabeth M. Nuxoll, with Mary A. Y. Gallagher and Jennifer E. Steenshorne, Associate […]

Read More…