The life of alexander hamilton
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Alexander Hamilton
American Founding Father and statesman (/–)
For other uses, see Alexander Hamilton (disambiguation).
Alexander Hamilton | |
|---|---|
Posthumous portrait by John Trumbull, ,[1] from a life bust by Giuseppe Ceracchi, | |
| In office September 11, – January 31, | |
| President | George Washington |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Oliver Wolcott Jr. |
| In office December 14, – June 15, | |
| President | John Adams |
| Preceded by | George Washington |
| Succeeded by | James Wilkinson |
| In office November 3, – March 2, | |
| Preceded by | Egbert Benson |
| Succeeded by | Seat abolished |
| In office November 4, – June 21, | |
| Preceded by | Seat established |
| Succeeded by | Seat abolished |
| Born | ()January 11, or [a] Charlestown, Colony of Nevis, British Leeward Islands |
| Died | (aged47 or 49) New York City, U.S. |
| Causeofdeath | Gunshot wound |
| Resting place | Trinity Church Cemetery |
| Na • Alexander HamiltonPost-War Accomplishments ()After his military service, Hamilton returned to New York where he passed the bar exam to practice law. Defending a British loyalist in , he helped establish the principle that courts have the right and responsibility to interpret law. Judicial review remains a cornerstone of the American legal system today. • Where Was Alexander Hamilton Born?Hamilton was born on the Caribbean island of Nevis in either or His father, the Scottish trader James Hamilton, and mother, Rachel Faucette Lavien, weren’t married. Rachel was still married to another man at the time of Hamilton’s birth, but had left her husband after he spent much of her family fortune and had her imprisoned for adultery. Hamilton’s father abandoned the family in and his mother died two years later. Hired as a clerk in a trading company on St. Croix when he was just 11, Hamilton gained wider attention after he published an eloquent letter describing a hurricane that had hit the island in Locals helped raise money to send him to America to study, and he arrived in New York in late , just as the colonies were gearing up for a war for independence from Great Britain. Rise from ObscurityWhile studying at King’s College in New York (now Columbia University), Hamilton got involved in the colonial cause, writing pamphlet | |