Prominent Members of Founder’s Family Nominated by State Parks for Efforts to Combat Slavery 

Two African American New York Abolitionists Also Added to Hall of Fame Located in Madison County 

New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) today announced that William Jay and John Jay II - descendants of American Patriot John Jay of New York - will be inducted into the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum this fall. William Jay and John Jay II were nominated to the Hall of Fame by John Jay Homestead State Historic Site Director Heather Iannucci. OPRHP operates the John Jay Homestead State Historic Site in his former home in Katonah, Westchester County. 

“The inclusion of these New Yorkers into this important institution’s Hall of Fame recognizes their significant work during the 19th century to end the scourge of slavery in our nation,” said OPRHP Acting Commissioner Moser. “We are proud to help steward the story of the Jay family, which tells the incredible evolution of the abolition movement in New York. From John Jay’s legacy as both a patriot and enslaver, to his son William Jay’s leadership in the anti-slavery movement, and his grandson John Jay II’s work with the Underground Railroad, we learn that the actions of individuals matter.” 

Also being inducted into the Hall are two African American New Yorkers, William Wells Brown and Samuel Ringgold Ward, both prominent in the abolitionist movement that grew in New York during the 18th century. 

“Our induction class of 2026 is made up of four prominent abolitionists with New York state connections who were instrumental in the struggle against enslavement. The Hall of Fame is honored to admit them into the ranks of these champions for human rights,” said Thomas Bennett, a member of the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum Cabinet of Freedom and current chair of the group’s Induction Committee. 

Founded in 2004, the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum is in Peterboro, Madison County. Inductions take place every two years and the upcoming induction will be in October 2026. The Hall currently features 32 inductees and is located in the same building in which the New York Anti-Slavery Society was organized in 1835. 

John Jay (1745-1829) was a Patriot leader during the Revolutionary War who helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris, in which Britain recognized American independence. Afterward, he co-authored the Federalist Papers, was the first Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, and later became governor of New York, where he passed legislation in 1799 for the state’s gradual abolition of slavery over the next three decades While he was known for his anti-slavery views, John Jay was also an enslaver – a paradox that historians still explore today.  

William Jay (1789-1858), John Jay’s son, served as a judge and began his efforts against slavery in the 1820s. Co-founder of both the American Anti-Slavery Society and the American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society, he provided shelter to freedom seekers escaping slavery and legal aid to free Black people who were wrongfully imprisoned. He was later removed as a judge in retaliation. 

John Jay II (1817-1894) was William Jay’s son. Inspired by his father and grandfather, he became involved in the abolition movement as a college student. He was active in the Underground Railroad, a network that helped enslaved people escape bondage, and worked with the Albany site operated by Stephen and Harriet Meyers, now the Underground Railroad Education Center. He also worked with the anti-slavery Free Soil Party and helped found the Republican Party. 

William Wells Brown, a formerly enslaved African American who escaped north to live in Buffalo, where he became a prominent anti-slavery author and orator. Brown operated a steamship that carried freedom seekers to safety in Canada, wrote a narrative about his enslavement, and authored a novel about the relationship between Thomas Jefferson and the enslaved Sally Hemmings, which was the first novel by an African American to be published. Brown was nominated to the Hall of Fame by Patrick Ryan, cultural curator of the Richardson-Olmsted Campus National Historic Landmark in Buffalo. 

Samuel Ringgold Ward settled in New York after escaping slavery and became a pastor and orator for the American Anti-Slavery Society. He aided in the rescue of a fugitive slave in Syracuse, edited an abolitionist newspaper, and worked in England to raise money for the abolitionist cause. In 1848, he was nominated to be New York abolitionist Gerrit Smith’s vice-presidential running mate on the Liberty Party ticket, making Ward the first African American man nominated for national political office. Ward was nominated to the Hall of Fame by Butler Town Historian Lori Schmidt.  

The institution of slavery in New York dates to 1627 when 22 enslaved Africans were brought to present-day Manhattan by the Dutch West Indies Company. Enslaved people lived and worked on all the colonial-era historic sites now under the stewardship of the Bureau of Historic Sites at the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. As part of OPRHP’s Our Whole History initiative, new and ongoing research about this important history is shared with the public through exhibits, tours, and programs. Learn more at https://parks.ny.gov/history/our-whole-history.  

Starting in 2026, New York State is holding numerous events to commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution. These efforts are being coordinated by the New York State 250th Commemoration Commission, which is co-chaired by the New York State Education Department and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Learn more at https://parks.ny.gov/history/rev-war.  

In 2027, OPRHP will commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans to New York and the 200th anniversary of the end of legalized slavery in New York as part of the Enslavement to Freedom: 1627-1827-2027 initiative. Learn more at https://parks.ny.gov/history/black-history.