Joseph Fay (September 11, 1753 – October 26, 1803) was an American politician, militia officer, and businessman who served as Secretary of State of Vermont and was one of its principal founders.

Biography

Joseph Fay was born in Hardwick, Massachusetts on September 11, 1753, the son of Stephen Fay and Ruth Child. In 1766, the Fays moved to Bennington, Vermont, where Stephen Fay owned and operated the

Catamount Tavern The Catamount Tavern was a tavern in Old Bennington, Vermont, United States. Originally known as Fay's House, it is marked now by a granite and copper statue placed in 1896. It was built 1769 and burned in 1871. During the tavern's 102 years o ...

and became a leader of the

Green Mountain Boys The Green Mountain Boys were a militia organization first established in 1770 in the territory between the British provinces of New York and New Hampshire, known as the New Hampshire Grants and later in 1777 as the Vermont Republic (which late ...

. The Green Mountain Boys were originally organized to resist attempts by the government of New York to exert control over Vermont, including forcing the original white settlers, who had purchased land grants from New Hampshire, to purchase confirming titles from New York. During the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

the residents of Vermont sided with the new United States; Fay served as Secretary of the Vermont Council of Safety from 1777 to 1778 and Council of State from 1778 to 1784. He also served as Secretary of State from 1778 to 1781. Fay served in the 2nd Regiment of Vermont Militia, and eventually commanded the regiment with the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

. His father, four of his six brothers, and he took part in the Battle of Bennington; Fay's brother John was the battle's first casualty. In 1780, Fay was appointed an assistant commissary, responsible for procuring, storing, and transporting food and other supplies for the military. In 1781 and 1782, Fay and Ira Allen negotiated with the British government in Canada on the subject of exchanging British prisoners held in Skenesborough. He was also involved with Ira and

Ethan Allen Ethan Allen ( – February 12, 1789) was an American farmer, businessman, land speculator, philosopher, writer, lay theologian, American Revolutionary War patriot, and politician. He is best known as one of the founders of Vermont and for ...

in the

Haldimand Haldimand may refer to: People * Frederick Haldimand (1718–1791), Swiss-born army officer and governor of Quebec * Peter Frederick Haldimand (1741 or 1742–1765), Swiss-born British army officer and surveyor * William Haldimand (1784–1862), d ...

negotiations, which on the surface involved the government of Vermont possibly joining the British empire, but were likely designed to prevent the British in Canada from invading Vermont during the Revolution. Fay owned a farm and served as Bennington's

postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

; the post office was located in his house. In 1791,

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

and

James Madison James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for hi ...

conducted a tour of the northern states which was partly for botanical exploration and partly for political organizing; they talked extensively with Fay, who was becoming recognized as an adherent of what became the Anti-Federalist Party, also called the Jeffersonians, and later the

Democratic-Republicans The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

. Fay later sent Jefferson maple tree seeds, and they maintained a long correspondence that covered farming, botany, and politics, in addition to other topics. In 1794 he moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, where he became an import merchant and land speculator Fay died there in 1803 as the result of

yellow fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...

, which he contracted during an epidemic. His death is believed to have occurred between October 20 and 26. He had joined the First Presbyterian Church, which recorded his death date as October 26. In addition, his will was witnessed on October 24, and the first newspaper accounts of his death were published on October 26, so October 26 is the most likely date of death. Because he was buried with many others in the middle of the yellow fever epidemic, the exact location of his grave is not known.

Family

Joseph Fay was married to Margaret Dewey, with whom he had six children. After her death he married Elizabeth "Betsey" Broome, with whom he had four more children. Fay's brother

David Fay David Fay (December 13, 1761June 5, 1827) was a Vermont judge and militia officer who served on the Vermont Supreme Court and as Adjutant General of the Vermont Militia. Early life David Fay was born in Hardwick, Massachusetts on December 13, ...

was also involved in Vermont politics and government, including service as United States Attorney for Vermont, associate justice of the

Vermont Supreme Court The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court. The Court ...

, and adjutant general of the Vermont Militia. His brother

Jonas Fay Jonas Fay (January 17, 1737 – March 6, 1818) was a military and political leader of Vermont during its period as an independent republic, and during the early years of its statehood. Born in Massachusetts, he served in the militia during the F ...

, served in several political positions during Vermont's early years, including Justice of the

Theodore Sedgwick Fay Theodore Sedgwick Fay (February 10, 1807 – November 17, 1898) was a writer from the United States who spent much of his life in Germany. Biography Fay initially worked as a clerk for his father, an attorney. His father died in 1825, and h ...

, a writer and diplomat who served as Minister to Switzerland, was the grandson of Joseph Fay.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fay, Joseph 1753 births 1803 deaths People from Hardwick, Massachusetts People from Bennington, Vermont People of Vermont in the American Revolution Members of the Vermont House of Representatives Secretaries of State of Vermont People of pre-statehood Vermont