Sarah Jay

Sarah Van Brugh Livingston Jay (August 2, 1756 – May 28, 1802) was an American socialite and wife of founding father John Jay, in which capacity she was the wife of the President of the Continental Congress, of the Chief Justice of the United States, and First Lady of New York. Early life Sarah was born in 1756. She was the eldest daughter of wealthy landowner William Livingston (1723–1790) and Susannah French (1723–1789). Her father was an attorney who was a signer of the United States Constitution and later served as the first post-colonial Governor of New Jersey during the American Revolutionary War from 1776 until his death in 1790. Her paternal grandparents were Philip Livingston, the 2nd Lord of Livingston Manor, and Catherine Van Brugh, the only child of Albany mayor Pieter Van Brugh (1666–1740). Her paternal uncles included Robert Livingston (1708–1790), 3rd Lord of Livingston Manor, Peter Van Brugh Livingston (1710–1792), New York State Treasurer, and Philip Livingston (1716–1778), who served as a member of the New York State Senate. Through her mother, she was descended from Phillip French, the 27th Mayor of New York City, Frederick Philipse, the 1st Lord of the Philipsburg Manor, and Anthony Brockholst, an acting Governor of Colonial New York. Society and diplomatic role