Jared Ingersoll was the son of British Colonial official and Loyalist, Jared Ingersoll, Sr., and shared his father's Loyalist feelings. Ingersoll studied law at the Middle Temple in London. During a two year tour of the continent following his studies, he shed his Loyalist sympathies, for reasons unknown.Ingersoll returned to the colonies and took up the legal profession in Philadelphia.

Ingersoll entered politics by being elected to the Continental Congress in 1780-81.

Ingersoll held a variety of public positions: member of the Philadelphia common council (1789); attorney general of Pennsylvania (1790-99 and 1811-17); Philadelphia city solicitor (1798-1801); presiding judge of the Philadelphia District Court (1821-22). He was the Federalist Vice-Presidential candidate in 1812, but lost the election.

Ingersoll attained distinction in his legal practice. In 1791 he began to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court and took part in some memorial cases.

- information taken from the National Part Services web site, based on studies prepared by Prof. Charles H. McCormick, Fairmont State College, W. VA and Mrs. Mary M. Bodnar, Springfield, VA.