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John Jay, Constitution Drafter card art from Lost Chapters (Cobalt, Character)
Card art: John Jay, Constitution Drafter

John Jay, Constitution Drafter: Cobalt Character

John Jay (1745 to 1829) was a New York lawyer and diplomat who helped negotiate the 1783 Treaty of Paris and served as the first Chief Justice of the United States from 1789 to 1795. He also wrote five of the Federalist essays, negotiated the 1794 Jay Treaty with Britain and later served as governor of New York.

Cost
3 crystals
Type
Character · Founder
Power / Health
2 / 3
Color
Cobalt (Thinkers & Dreamers)
Rarity
Uncommon
Set
Liberty & Lightning (Set 1)
Keywords
Guard

Guard

On play: if you control another Founder, Recover 1.

Diplomatic wordsmith whose negotiating skills secured peace abroad while helping craft governance at home.

Real history

The real history

Jay was born in New York City on December 12, 1745, and grew up in Rye, New York. He graduated from King's College, now Columbia University, in 1764 and was admitted to the bar in 1768. His family held people in slavery.

He served in both the First and Second Continental Congresses, and in 1778 Congress elected him its president. In 1779 he went to Spain to seek recognition and aid for the new nation, and in 1783 he helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris that ended the Revolutionary War.

Jay wanted a stronger union, and he wrote five of the Federalist essays in support of the new Constitution. On September 24, 1789, Washington nominated him the first Chief Justice of the United States, and the Senate confirmed him two days later.

Disputes left over from the Revolution, including British seizures of American sailors, had pushed the two countries toward war. Jay went to London and signed a treaty on November 19, 1794. Britain agreed to leave its posts in the Northwest and granted favorable trade terms, but the treaty did not stop impressment. It was deeply unpopular, squeaked through the Senate 20 to 10 in June 1795 and strained relations with France.

Jay resigned from the Court on June 29, 1795, to become governor of New York. After the war he had helped form the New-York Manumission Society, yet an inventory in 1798 still listed six people he enslaved. As governor he saw the 1799 Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery through the legislature. It freed children born to enslaved mothers after July 4, 1799, but only at 28 for men and 25 for women. He died on May 17, 1829.

Sources

  1. Previous Chief Justices: John Jay, 1789 to 1795, Supreme Court Historical Society
  2. John Jay's Treaty, 1794 to 95, Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State
  3. In Service to the New Nation: The Life and Legacy of John Jay, Slavery and Abolition, Columbia University Libraries

Checked against these sources on October 2, 2026. Spot a mistake? Report an error. How we check facts.

How the card plays

John Jay, Constitution Drafter costs 3 crystals and is a 2/3 Uncommon Cobalt Founder with Guard, so he blocks without resting. When he arrives, if you control another Founder, Recover 1: the top card of your deck goes into your Life, up to the limit of 5.

Martin Luther King Jr. and Neil Armstrong decks can both use him. Under Dr. King, your characters have Resolve, so whenever Jay survives damage he gets +1/+0 for the rest of the game, once per turn.

Play him after another Founder to get the Recover. James Madison, Constitution Lead gives your Founders +0/+1, making Jay a 2/4 wall. Washington, First President adds +1/+1 to your other Founders, so Jay blocks as a 3/4. Alexander Hamilton, Advisor is a Founder that also refills your hand, setting up Jay's Recover on the next turn.

  • Playable in decks led by Martin Luther King Jr., Neil Armstrong, and by any Traveler Leader whose colors include Cobalt.
  • In the Dr. King starter deck (1 copy). Deck code: LC2-BAABAQICAQMBBAEFAQYBBwEIAQkCCgILAQwBDQIOAg8BEAIRARICEwIUAhUBFgEXARgBGQEaARsBHAEdAR4B3v4
  • In the Armstrong starter deck (1 copy). Deck code: LC2-AQABAQECAQMBBAEFAQYBBwEIAgkCCgILAQwBDQIOAQ8BEAERARICEwIUARUBFgEXARgBGQEaARsBHAIdAR4BfQK1eQ
  • A deck holds up to 3 copies of this card.

Questions about John Jay

Who was the first Chief Justice of the United States?

John Jay. Washington nominated him in September 1789, and he served until 1795. In 1800 he turned down a second appointment as Chief Justice, and John Adams then chose John Marshall.

How many Federalist Papers did John Jay write?

Five, according to the Supreme Court Historical Society. The series was written to persuade Americans to ratify the new Constitution.

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