William Jay

William Jay (February 12, 1841 – March 28, 1915) was an American soldier and a lawyer. He served in the Union Army as a lieutenant colonel during the American Civil War. He served as the 40th President of the Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York. Early life Jay was born on February 12, 1841. He was the only son born to John Jay (1817–1894), a lawyer and diplomat, and Eleanor Kingsland (née Field) Jay (1819–1909). He was the brother of Eleanor (née Jay) Chapman, wife of Henry Grafton Chapman Jr. (the president of the New York Stock Exchange, son of abolitionist Maria Weston Chapman, and father of John Jay Chapman); John S. Jay, who died young; Augusta (née Jay) Robinson, wife of Edmund Randolph Robinson (son of prominent civil engineer Moncure Robinson); and Mary (née Jay) Schieffelin, wife of William Henry Schieffelin (son of author Samuel Schieffelin). His paternal grandparents were Judge William Jay and Augusta (née McVickar) Jay. He was the great-grandson of Founding Father John Jay, the 1st Chief Justice of the United States. His maternal grandparents were Eleanor and Hickson Woolman Field (uncle to Benjamin Hazard Field). His grandfather was a prominent merchant in New York City. Jay entered Columbia College, graduating in 1859.