Aaron Burr

Aaron Burr was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, a brilliant lawyer, and the Vice President of the U.S. But he is remembered as the man who killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel and as an accused traitor.

Burr served under George Washington in the Continental Army and became a successful lawyer in New York City. He also became an influential figure in national politics. Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of the Treasury under President Washington, was Burr’s main political rival. In the election of 1800, Burr and Thomas Jefferson received the same number of electoral votes for President. Hamilton supported Jefferson, and Burr was named Vice President instead.

Four years later, Burr accused Hamilton of insulting him and challenged him to a duel. And on July 11, 1804, in Weehawken, New Jersey, Burr fatally wounded Hamilton. In the early 1800s, duelists were expected to try to wound, not kill their foes.

The next year, Burr launched the scheme that led to his downfall. He was accused of trying to set up an independent empire in the Southwest, with himself as the ruler. He was arrested and tried for treason. Although he was acquitted because of lack of evidence, he was viewed as a traitor by the public. Burr lived in Europe for several years and then returned to New York, where he practiced law, forgotten by the nation he had once hoped to lead.