Sons of the Revolution of the State of New York (SOR) celebrated the signing of the United States Constitution on September 17, 1787, with a dinner and reception at the Fraunces Tavern Museum. The event featured a presentation by Justice Mark C. Dillon, author of The First Chief Justice: John Jay and the Struggles of a New Nation. The evening was co-sponsored by the NSDAR’s Brooklyn Chapter, Fort Greene Chapter, Manhattan Chapter, Mary Washington Chapter, and the Peter Minuit Chapter.
The SOR comprises descendants of those who fought for American Independence. Each year, they commemorate historically significant events, including the anniversaries of George Washington’s Birthday, the Battles of Lexington and Concord, and the Evacuation of New York by the British Army. The SOR’s most notable philanthropic and educational contribution to New York’s landscape is the preservation of 54 Pearl Street, one of the City’s oldest standing structures and home to Fraunces Tavern.
Author Mark C. Dillon is a New York State Supreme Court Justice, currently serving in its Appellate Division in the Second Judicial Department. He was elected to the Supreme Court in the state’s Ninth Judicial District in 1999 before his appointment to the Appellate Division by Governor George Pataki in 2005. Governor David Paterson re-appointed him to one of the senior “constitutional” seats at the Appellate Division in January 2009.
In his presentation of The First Chief Justice: John Jay and the Struggles of a New Nation, Mark C. Dillon explained how Jay’s personal, educational, and professional experiences—before, during, and after the Revolutionary War—shaped both the establishment of the first system of federal courts from 1789 to 1795 and Jay’s approach to deciding the earliest cases heard by the Supreme Court. Dillon shared how his book takes the reader on a fascinating journey of a task accomplished by constant travel on horseback to the nation’s far reaches, with Jay adeptly handling the Washington administration, Congress, lawyers, politicians, and judicial colleagues. The book includes the history of each of the nine cases decided by Jay when he was Chief Justice, many of which have proven with time to have enduring historical significance.
A lively question-and-answer followed Justice Dillon’s book and slide presentation. The discourse continued over dinner at the Fraunces Tavern restaurant located on the ground floor of the museum’s building. The evening was another remarkable collaboration between the SOR and its supporting historical, philanthropic, and preservation societies like the NSDAR Chapters.
