1. Joseph Clay Jr. (1769–1811), of Philadelphia, was one of the American Philosophical Society’s four secretaries. He held the position from 1800 until his election to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served from 4 March 1803 to 28 March 1808. TBA inscribed vols. 2 and 3 of JA’s Defence of the Const. description begins John Adams, A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America, London, 1787–1788; repr. New York, 1971; 3 vols. description ends “To the Philosophical Society of Philadelphia From the Author” and presented them on 20 March 1802; they remain in the society’s collection (Biog. Dir. Cong.; Philadelphia Directory, 1802, p. xxv, Shaw-Shoemaker description begins Ralph R. Shaw and Richard H. Shoemaker, American Bibliography: A Preliminary Checklist for 1801–1819, New York, 1958–1966; 22 vols.; supplemental edn., Early American Imprints, www.readex.com. description ends , No. 2893; George Irvin Oeste, John Randolph Clay: America’s First Career Diplomat, Phila., 1966, p. 16).