Alexander Hamilton

NAME Alexander Hamilton (1755 or 1757 – 1804)

WHAT FAMOUS FOR Founding Father of the United States, co-author of The Federalist Papers, first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, founder of the Bank of New York, the U.S. Mint, the Revenue Cutter Service (precursor to the U.S. Coast Guard), and the New-York Evening Post (today’s New York Post).

BIRTH Alexander Hamilton was born on January 11, either 1755 or 1757, in Charlestown, Nevis, in the British West Indies. Historians have found conflicting birth records, with Hamilton himself maintaining he was born in 1757. He was born out of wedlock to Rachel Faucette (also spelled Fawcette) and James Hamilton.

FAMILY BACKGROUND Hamilton's mother, Rachel Faucette, was of half-British and half-French Huguenot descent. She had previously been married to Johann Michael Lavine, a German or Danish merchant, but left him and their son Peter to live with James Hamilton. Hamilton's father, James Hamilton, was a Scottish trader and the fourth son of Alexander Hamilton, the laird of Grange in Ayrshire, Scotland. The Hamilton family could trace their lineage back to the 15th century.

CHILDHOOD When Alexander was about 10 years old, his father James Hamilton abandoned the family in 1765, ostensibly to spare Rachel from a charge of bigamy. Rachel supported the family by managing a small store in Christiansted on St. Croix. 

In 1768, when Alexander was around 11-13 years old, both he and his mother contracted yellow fever, and Rachel died, leaving Hamilton orphaned. His cousin then committed suicide, and Hamilton was left destitute with his older brother James Jr..

EDUCATION Hamilton received limited formal education during his childhood. He attended a small Hebrew school where he learned to recite the Ten Commandments in Hebrew, and later a private school led by a Jewish headmistress. His mother bought books for him and his brother, including works by Machiavelli and Plutarch. At age 12, Hamilton began working as a clerk for Nicholas Cruger's trading company, which he considered the most useful part of his education, learning to track freight, chart ship courses, and calculate prices in different currencies.

After benefactors raised money to send him to America for education following his eloquent writing about a hurricane , Hamilton arrived in New York in 1772. He attended Elizabethtown Academy in New Jersey to prepare for college, studying Latin, Greek, and advanced mathematics. He then entered King's College (now Columbia University) in New York in fall 1773, studying classics, ethics, rhetoric, and logic.

CAREER RECORD 1775 Founded a volunteer military company during the American Revolution

1776 Commissioned Captain of the New York Provincial Company of Artillery in March

1777 Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and appointed as General George Washington's aide-de-camp in March

1782 Qualified for the bar and began practicing law in New York

1782-1783 Served as a delegate from New York to the Continental Congress

1784 Founded the Bank of New York

1786 Served as a delegate to the Annapolis Convention

1787 Served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention

1787-1788 Co-authored The Federalist Papers with James Madison and John Jay

1789 Appointed by President Washington as the first Secretary of the Treasury

1789-1795 Served as Secretary of the Treasury, creating America's financial system, establishing national credit, assuming state debts, and founding the first national bank

1795 Left the Treasury Department and returned to his law practice

1795-1804 Remained active in politics and legal practice until his death

APPEARANCE Hamilton was short, about 5'7" in height, and thin but with a commanding presence that made him seem larger than life. He had an "uncommonly handsome face" with a light complexion and rosy cheeks. Hamilton had deep-set blue eyes  a strong Roman nose, and good bone structure with a strong chin and jaw. His hair was reddish-brown, which he often wore powdered in the fashion of the time. (1)

 Fisher Ames, a contemporary, described him as having "easy, graceful, and polished movements" and called him "one of the most elegant of mortals". (2)

Alexander Hamilton posthumous portrait by John Trumbull 

FASHION Hamilton was generally a stylish and meticulous dresser, reflecting his desire to project an image of success and authority despite his humble origins. During his time as Secretary of the Treasury, he dressed in the mode of an elegant Federalist gentleman. In the army, he was known for his crisp, neat uniform.

CHARACTER  Hamilton possessed a brilliant, restless, and ambitious mind, coupled with an intense work ethic. He could be proud, hot-tempered, and argumentative, which led to numerous public and private conflicts. Hamilton was also noted for his loyalty to friends and his strong sense of honor.

SPEAKING VOICE Historical accounts describe his voice as strong, clear, and commanding—excellent for oratory and debate. Hamilton was a dynamic and persuasive public speaker and debater, able to hold the attention of a room or a legislative body.

SENSE OF HUMOUR Hamilton had a good sense of humor and wit. There are accounts of him playing practical jokes, including a story where he made a bet with Gouverneur Morris to play a joke on George Washington. 

Contemporary Fisher Ames noted that Hamilton's face could "easily break out into a smile" and showed prominent smile lines. (1)

Hamilton’s wit could be biting, especially in political pamphlets where he mocked rivals with cutting sarcasm.

RELATIONSHIPS Hamilton married Elizabeth "Eliza" Schuyler on December 14, 1780, in Albany, New York. Eliza came from one of New York's most prominent and wealthy families. Their marriage was loving but turbulent, producing eight children: Philip, Angelica, Alexander Jr., James, John, William, Eliza, and Philip (named after their eldest son who died in a duel).

1787 portrait of Eliza Schuyler by Ralph Earl

Hamilton had a close friendship with Eliza's sister Angelica Schuyler Church, leading to speculation about romantic feelings. 

His most infamous relationship was his adulterous affair with Maria Reynolds from 1791-1792, which became the first major political sex scandal in American history when revealed in 1797. Despite this scandal, Hamilton and Eliza reconciled and remained married until his death.

Hamilton's most important professional relationship was with George Washington. Washington treated him like a son, and Hamilton served as Washington's most trusted aide and Cabinet member.

His primary political opponents were Thomas Jefferson and James Madison: Their ideological and personal disagreements led to the formation of the first party system (Federalists vs. Democratic-Republicans).

His long-time political rival was Aaron Burr, culminating in the fatal duel of 1804.

MONEY AND FAME  Though Alexander Hamilton married into the wealthy Schuyler family, he never found personal financial security. The Hamiltons lived modestly, refusing cash aid from General Schuyler, though they accepted food and supplies from his estate. Hamilton’s purchase of land for his home, “The Grange,” in Harlem Heights only deepened the strain. At his death, he left Eliza and their children nearly destitute, forcing her to struggle financially for the rest of her life. Ironically, the architect of the nation’s economy died in debt.

He enjoyed fame as a Founding Father.

FOOD AND DRINK Hamilton had a notable sweet tooth, particularly enjoying ice cream. At Thomas Jefferson's dinner parties, Hamilton was especially impressed by vanilla ice cream "enclosed in a warm pastry, like a cream puff" and "positively exulted" over this dessert. The Hamiltons introduced George and Martha Washington to ice cream in 1789.

Hamilton's wife Eliza brought Dutch culinary influences to their table, including hearty split pea soup served with rye bread and topped with Dutch-style smoked bacon.

Hamilton loved coffee and reportedly drank "strong coffee" each morning after sleeping six or seven hours. 

However, Hamilton was reportedly not good at holding his liquor, with John Adams describing him as someone who couldn't drink wine "without getting silly and vaporing about his administration". (3)

MUSIC AND ARTS Hamilton lived in a cultured household. His daughter Angelica played piano, and the family owned a piano that was a gift from Eliza's sister in London. 

Hamilton had a known appreciation for the arts, particularly poetry and theatre. He wrote poetry in his youth and enjoyed attending theatrical performances in New York City. He was well-read and cultured, moving in sophisticated social circles that valued artistic accomplishments. His home, The Grange, was designed with entertainment in mind and reflected his aesthetic sensibilities. 

LITERATURE Hamilton was a voracious reader and prolific writer. During his childhood, his mother provided him with books including works by Machiavelli and Plutarch. He supplemented his education with a family library of 34 books. At Elizabethtown Academy, he wrote commentaries on the books of Genesis and Revelation. Hamilton kept hundreds of volumes in his home office at The Grange.

As a writer, Hamilton was extraordinarily productive, authoring 51 of the 85 Federalist Papers in just eight months. His writing was characterized by clarity and persuasive power. He wrote influential political pamphlets during the Revolution , and his adult correspondence was extensive. Contemporary accounts describe his rapid writing style, noting that "the product of his rapid pen required little correction for the press". (3)

Image by Perplexity

NATURE Though committed to a vision of an industrialized, urban America (as opposed to Jefferson's agrarian ideal), Hamilton eventually built his final home, The Grange, on a large estate in northern Manhattan, which he enjoyed cultivating in his later years. He consulted physician David Hosack for guidance on landscaping and planted a circle of 13 sweet gum trees symbolizing the Thirteen Colonies. He also planted a circular flower bed around his house. 

HOBBIES AND SPORTS Hamilton's primary hobby was his home, The Grange, which he described as his "sweet project". He was involved in designing every aspect of the house, its decoration, and gardens. 

Hamilton also enjoyed entertaining guests at his home, which became a significant social outlet.

SCIENCE AND MATHS  During his youth working at the trading company, Hamilton earned to calculate prices in different currencies and chart ship courses, showing early mathematical aptitude. His work as Secretary of the Treasury required sophisticated understanding of economics and financial mathematics. 

Hamilton's approach to problems was systematic and analytical, reflecting scientific thinking. His famous financial reports to Congress demonstrated his ability to analyze complex economic systems and propose mathematical solutions.

PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY Hamilton was one of those people who seemed to take God very seriously, but never quite knew where to sit on a Sunday. Born within earshot of St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Nevis, he attended a Hebrew school as a child and learned biblical texts.. At King’s College he was observed kneeling in prayer morning and night, which is impressive when you consider how hard it is for most of us just to get through breakfast without grumbling.

He once declared that Christianity could be proved “as clearly as any proposition ever submitted to the mind of man.” It sounds very grand until you remember this is the same man who couldn’t keep his personal finances in order. Still, his faith was sincere. He drifted between Anglican and Presbyterian ways of doing things but never officially signed up with either.

In his final hours, lying mortally wounded after his duel with Burr, Hamilton asked for communion from both Episcopal and Presbyterian ministers—hedging his bets, perhaps, but also showing a very real desire to end his complicated life in the arms of the faith he had never quite managed to pin down. (5)

POLITICAL CAREER Alexander Hamilton’s political career was nothing short of foundational, though it’s hard to imagine anyone less suited to the word “modest.” He burst onto the American scene with the energy of three men and spent the rest of his life trying to design an entire nation while simultaneously offending half of it. By the time he was finished, he had managed to help write the Constitution, invent the American financial system, launch a political party, and make more enemies than a wasp in a jam factory. 

At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, Hamilton represented New York and immediately set about demanding a strong central government with as much gusto as a man ordering a second dessert. He even produced his own sweeping plan, which nobody liked very much, but that didn’t slow him down. When opponents in New York looked likely to scupper the Constitution altogether, he sat down with James Madison and John Jay and wrote most of The Federalist Papers—51 essays, dense with argument, dazzling in scope, and written with such alarming speed you wonder if Hamilton ever actually slept.

Appointed on September 11, 1789 as the first Secretary of the Treasury under George Washington, Hamilton essentially invented the nation’s economic machinery from scratch. He created the first national bank, cobbled together a financial system robust enough to withstand debt and political meddling, and conjured up national credit where none existed before. It is probably the only time in history that a man could be simultaneously terrible with his own money and brilliant with everyone else’s.

Never content to be merely competent, Hamilton also managed to organize the Federalist Party, shape Washington’s Farewell Address, and generally dominate the national conversation whether people liked it or not (they often didn’t).

Of course, Hamilton also had the uncanny knack of making political enemies at every turn—most notably Thomas Jefferson and, fatally, Aaron Burr. His rivalry with Burr ended in the famous duel of 1804, when Hamilton, who had spent a lifetime narrowly dodging duels, finally ran out of luck. He was killed at 47, leaving the nation with a financial system still in place today and a political tradition permanently shaped by his noisy brilliance.

Hamilton believed in strong federal power, economic stability, and the idea that you could, in fact, write your way into history if you wrote enough and fast enough. Remarkably, he did exactly that.

POLITICS Hamilton was a committed Federalist who believed in strong central government. He feared the promise of states' rights and was a committed nationalist. As one of the authors of The Federalist Papers, Hamilton advocated for federal government's ability to act directly upon citizens to regulate national concerns.

Hamilton founded the Federalist Party, which favored a strong national government, national bank, tariffs, and good relations with Great Britain. The party appealed to businesses and merchants who supported centralization, federalism, modernization, and industrialization. 

SCANDAL Hamilton's most famous scandal was his affair with Maria Reynolds from 1791-1792, which became the first major political sex scandal in American history. Twenty-three-year-old Maria approached the 34-year-old married Hamilton claiming her husband had abandoned her. The affair continued for approximately a year, during which Maria's husband James Reynolds blackmailed Hamilton for over $1,300 (equivalent to about $25,000 today).

When political enemies accused Hamilton of financial corruption in 1797, he published "The Reynolds Pamphlet," publicly admitting to the affair to clear his name of the more serious charge of official misconduct. This candid confession was unprecedented in American politics but severely damaged his reputation and may have cost him the presidency. The scandal humiliated his wife Eliza, though they eventually reconciled.

MILITARY RECORD Hamilton began his military service in 1775 by founding a volunteer military company. In March 1776, he was commissioned Captain of the New York Provincial Company of Artillery. He participated in building Fort Bunker Hill and fought in several major battles including Long Island, Harlem Heights, White Plains, Trenton, and Princeton.

Alexander Hamilton in the Uniform of the New York Artillery, a portrait by Alonzo Chappel

In March 1777, impressed by Hamilton's leadership and courage, General George Washington promoted him to Lieutenant Colonel and made him his aide-de-camp. Hamilton served as Washington's chief of staff for four years during the Revolutionary War. In 1781, eager to return to combat, Hamilton left Washington's staff and was given command of an infantry battalion. His final military action was leading the successful night attack against Redoubt No. 10 at the Battle of Yorktown in October 1781, which helped secure American victory.

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FITNESS Hamilton's health was generally robust throughout his life, allowing him to maintain his demanding work schedule as Treasury Secretary and lawyer. His physical condition was sufficient to participate actively in military campaigns and the demanding physical requirements of 18th-century life.

In 1793, Hamilton contracted yellow fever during the epidemic that killed 10% of Philadelphia's population, but fortunately had a relatively mild case and recovered. This disease also affected many other founding fathers and government officials.

HOMES Hamilton lived in various rented houses throughout his marriage until building The Grange, the only home he ever owned. Located on a 32-acre estate in what is now Hamilton Heights in Manhattan, The Grange was completed in 1802. The Federal-style house was designed by architect John McComb Jr. and built with wood supplied by Hamilton's father-in-law from the Schuyler family sawmill.

The house featured porticoes on front and rear facades, piazzas on the sides, and was situated high on a hill with views of both the Hudson and East Rivers. Hamilton oversaw every detail of the house's design, decoration, and gardens. The family moved in during August 1802, and Hamilton named it after his grandfather's estate in Scotland. The house served as both family residence and entertainment space for political and social gatherings.

Drawing of the original Grange before 1889

TRAVEL Hamilton's most significant journey was his voyage from the Caribbean to America in 1772 at age 15-17. This trip, funded by local benefactors who recognized his talent, took him from St. Croix to Boston and then to New York. Once in America, Hamilton traveled frequently between New York and Philadelphia for his various political and professional duties.

As Treasury Secretary, Hamilton traveled regularly between the capital (first in New York, then Philadelphia) and his home. When living at The Grange, he made a three-hour round trip to his law office in Lower Manhattan several times a week by stagecoach. His various political activities required travel throughout the northeastern states for meetings, conventions, and legal business.

DEATH Hamilton died on July 12, 1804, at age 47 (or 49), approximately 31 hours after being shot in a duel by Vice President Aaron Burr. The duel took place at dawn on July 11, 1804, in Weehawken, New Jersey. The confrontation resulted from a long-standing political and personal rivalry that escalated when Burr heard about newspaper reports claiming Hamilton had expressed a "despicable opinion" of him.

During the duel, Hamilton's shot went high and wide, possibly intentionally, while Burr's bullet hit Hamilton in the abdomen, fracturing a rib, tearing through his diaphragm and liver, and lodging in his spine. Hamilton was transported across the Hudson River to Greenwich Village, where he spent his final hours in agony, surrounded by family and friends. In his last moments, he expressed Christian faith and sought communion from both Episcopal and Presbyterian ministers.

Alexander Hamilton was fatally shot at the same dueling ground where his son Philip Hamilton had been fatally wounded three years before, in 1801. Both duels took place at the popular Weehawken dueling grounds, making Hamilton's death especially tragic and poignant in American history.

He was buried in the Trinity Churchyard in Manhattan.

APPEARANCES IN MEDIA Hamilton has appeared in numerous films, television shows, documentaries, and theatrical productions. Early depictions include the 1917 Broadway play Hamilton starring George Arliss, who reprised the role in a 1931 film. 

Television appearances include the 1976 PBS miniseries The Adams Chronicles, the 2000 A&E film The Crossing, and the 2008 HBO miniseries John Adams where he was portrayed by Rufus Sewell.

The most famous modern depiction is Lin-Manuel Miranda's 2015 Broadway musical Hamilton, which revolutionized Hamilton's popular image and won 11 Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The musical was filmed and released on Disney+ in 2020. 

Various documentaries have featured Hamilton, including PBS American Experience productions and History Channel specials about his duel with Burr. 

He has also appeared in novels, including Gore Vidal's Burr and Gertrude Atherton's The Conqueror.

ACHIEVEMENTS First Secretary of the Treasury

Cofounder of The Federalist Papers

Creator of America’s financial system

Founder of the Bank of New York, the U.S. Mint, and the Coast Guard’s precursor

Founder of the New York Post newspaper

Revolutionary War hero at Yorktown

Sources (1) Royalty Now (2) Cambridge.org (3) NPR (4) Susanhollywayscott.com (5) Desiring God