ALEXANDER HAMILTON
aka king of the feds
1755 (?) - 1804

Alex was born in 1755 or 1757 and ended his life in a duel of all outdoor sports in 1804. He was a smart man and you can check out his picture on the US $10 bill. You might wanna hang on to your tenner as there's a movement to put Ronald Reagan on the ten bucks bill instead. God help us all.

Here the New York Historical Society features an Alexander Hamilton Exhibition, including a little Alexander Hamilton quiz.

In a nutshell, Alex became famous for being one of the Founding Fathers, that means one of the gentlemen who came up with the Constitution of the United States. A hard worker, Alex is also hailed as having been a great administrator and a very practical and action oriented man. Too practical for some. They argue Alex lacked a philosophical side, which usually balances straight logical thoughts and promotes emotional intelligence.

In any event, Alexander Hamilton was the first secretary of the Treasury of the United States. He held this position from 1789 until 1795.

BIRTH
Was Alexander Hamilton born in 1755 or in 1757?
The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration mentions the year 1757. Encyclopaedia Britannica can't make up its mind and states both years. The Alexander Hamilton Historical Society states the year 1755. If you can't decide either, you can here flip a coin online.

Alex was born on the island of Nevis in the West Indies, which is located in the Caribbean Sea, according to the map below. Today, the official name of the country is Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. As the name indicates, the state consists of two islands. The capital, Basseterre, is located on St Kitts. The Federation managed to become independent in 1983.

ALEXANDER HAMILTON WAS BORN ON NEVIS
The islands got creamed by Hurricane Georges in 1998.
I found this great little map on the DFID website. Don't ask.

By the way, the tiny island of Nevis with a population of today 46,000 still has Queen Elizabeth II as Chief of State.

ALEXANDER HAMILTON'S FAMILY
Alex's father was James Hamilton. Alex's grandfather was Alexander Hamilton from Ayrshire, Scotland. Alex's mother was Rachel Fawcett Lavine. She was divorced from her husband, Mr Lavine, in 1758, some years after Alex's birth. And those of you who just had to raise an eyebrow will be interested to check out this eyebrow trimmer.

In 1765, father James felt it was time to abandon the family, and so he did. Mother Rachel died a few years later, in 1768.

In 1780, Alex married Elizabeth Schuyler, daughter of General Philip Schuyler. Elizabeth became the mother of eight children. And here you can marvel at Alex's and Elizabeth's wedding ring. (good stinking grief)

ELIZABETH SCHUYLER HAMILTON
1757-1854
More info about Elizabeth provided by the New York Historical Society.

In 1801, Alex's son Philip died in a duel at the same spot where, in 1804 Alex would also receive his last bullet. Here's the list of recorded duels fought in Weehawken, NJ.

EARLY YEARS
In 1772, some of Alex's friends sent him to school in Elizabethtown, NJ. In 1773, he went to College in New York (King's College.)

ALEXANDER HAMILTON AND INDEPENDENCE FROM BRITAIN
Alex was very much for independence from the Brits. He backed the Boston Tea Party and was busy writing anonymous pamphlets for the cause. In March 1776, Alex became captain in the Revolutionary Army. George Washington himself made him lieutenant colonel and private secretary.

Alex later was ready for fame and glory and asked GW to give him a position in the army that could bring him just that. George wasn't willing to do that and in 1781 Alex left his job. However, later that year he was back in the army together with a commanding post he so desired.

ALEXANDER HAMILTON

POST WAR LIFE
Alex settled in Albany, studied, and later practiced law in 1782. A little later the same year he became an elected member of the Continental Congress. He was a promoter for the central government.

The year 1783 brought Alex to NYC where he continued to practice law. He became a delegate of New York at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 where he argued for unlimited power for the government over the states. He was co-signer of the Constitution.

Alex wrote many political essays under different pen names. His writings became Classics among the political literature of the United States.

FIRST SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY
Alex was appointed Secretary of the Treasury in 1789. After Alex resigned in 1795 he remained a valued political adviser to the Washington office and later the Adams office.

Politically, Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson were working against each other many times. Alex didn't agree much with President Adams either. In 1800, Alex published a nasty little thing called The Public Conduct and Character of John Adams, Esq., President of the United States.

THE DUEL
Why would a smart man get into a duel with Vice President Aaron Burr? Well, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr hated each other's guts since quite a while. Aaron Burr then became outraged at something Alex allegedly had said at a dinner party, of all serious events.

When Aaron finally demanded satisfaction, Alexander accepted. Where did it happen? The spot is today's Weehawken, New Jersey. Here you can check out Weehawken's official website. When did it happen? On July 11, 1804. Aaron aimed real good and, mortally wounded, Alex went down. He died the next day, on July 12, 1804, in New York, NY, and was buried in Trinity Churchyard in New York City.

THE HAMILTON BURR DUEL
From Gutenberg.org   Click to enlarge.

This website is dedicated to the Hamilton - Burr duel. And - get this - not only did they track down descendants of both, Hamilton and Burr, namely Dough Hamilton and Antonio Burr. They also staged a re-enactment with the two being the main actors.

Aaron Burr was one of a kind, by the way. When it was finally time for him to die, he managed to get divorced from his wife the very day he died. That was on September 14, 1836. You can find out more about Aaron and check out his picture via the New Jersey Historical Society.

ALEXANDER HAMILTON TRIVIA
Alex was fluent in French.

In 1801, Alexander Hamilton helped found the New York Evening Post. The paper is still in print but the name switched to New York Post. The paper claims, "At more than 200 years old, it's the oldest continuously published newspaper in the country."

You can also find out more about the Alexander Hamilton Institute for International Trade.

Alex was co-founder of the Bank of New York.

For all kinds of Alexander Hamilton info, check out the Alexander Hamilton Historical Society.

Here you can read The Federalist Paper by Alexander Hamilton for free.