July 11, 1804

On this day in 1804 Vice President Aaron Burr killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel.

Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton

Although Alexander Hamilton would become monumental in the early American government he was not actually born in the country. He was born on Nevis, a Caribbean island, in either 1775 or 1757 (controversy abounds regarding the correct year). He came to the American colonies in 1773. He later joined the Continental Army and fought under George Washington in the American Revolution. He then served as a delegate on the Constitutional Convention and served as the first Secretary of the Treasury under President Washington. He was important to the monetary policies of the infantile nation and helped save the government from collapse through them.

Aaron Burr

Aaron Burr

Aaron Burr's beginnings were quite different than Hamilton. He was born to a prestigious family in New Jersey in 1756. He graduated from the College of New Jersey, what is today known as Princeton. Like Hamilton he also joined the Continental Army and after was elected to the New York State Assembly and then became a member of the Senate. Most notably he was Vice President under Thomas Jefferson.

Burr shooting Hamilton in their duel

The Duel

Hamilton had long detested Burr and launched a series of public attacks against him when he was running for Vice President the first time with Jefferson, which they lost to John Adams. After having his character attacked by Hamilton on numerous occasions Burr challenged him to a duel. These were commonplace at the time but most often a resolution was reached before any weapon was actually fired.

Reports on the actual duel are mixed. Some sources state Hamilton decided the duel was wrong and shot into the air, others state Hamilton fired at Burr but missed. Either way the result was the same, Burr shot Hamilton in the stomach and he died later that afternoon after the bullet had lodged in his spine. Burr was charged with murder but as he was Vice President at the time he was essentially immune to prosecution and nothing ever came of it.