Jay gained the power of super speed in a freak lab accident at Lampert laboratories. He became the Flash, the fastest man alive. He was a founding member of the Justice Society of America. In 1945, at the base of the All Star Squadron at the site of the New York World's Fair, The Flash was a witness to the death of the heroine Firebrand. Firebrand blocked a shot from Dragon King aimed at him. With the other members of the Society, he publicly inducted Red Tornado into the group. He married Joan in 1946. He eventually went into semi-retirement in 1951. Jay met Barry Allen around fifty years later, and announced his official retirement as the Flash when Barry started his career as the Flash a year after that.