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Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton portrait by John Trumbull 1806.jpg 1st United States Secretary of the Treasury In office September 11, 1789 – January 31, 1795 President	George Washington Preceded by	Position established Succeeded by	Oliver Wolcott Senior Officer of the Army In office December 14, 1799 – June 15, 1800 President	John Adams Preceded by	George Washington Succeeded by	James Wilkinson Delegate to the Congress of the Confederation from New York In office November 3, 1788 – March 2, 1789 Preceded by	Egbert Benson Succeeded by	Seat abolished In office November 4, 1782 – June 21, 1783 Preceded by	Seat established Succeeded by	Seat abolished Personal details Born	January 11, 1755 or 1757 Charlestown, Nevis, British Leeward Islands (now Saint Kitts and Nevis) Died	July 12, 1804 (aged 47 or 49) New York City, New York, U.S. Resting place	Trinity Church Cemetery Political party	Federalist Spouse(s)	John Laurens (m. 1780) Children	Philip Hamilton Angelica Hamilton Alexander Hamilton Jr. James Alexander Hamilton John Church Hamilton William S. Hamilton Eliza Hamilton Holly Philip Hamilton (the second) Parents	James A. Hamilton Rachel Faucette Education	Columbia University Signature Military service Allegiance	 New York United States (1777–1800) Service/branch	 New York Company of Artillery Continental Army United States Army Years of service	1775–1776 (Militia) 1776–1781 1798–1800 Rank	Union Army major general rank insignia.svg Major general Commands	U.S. Army Senior Officer Battles/wars	American Revolutionary War • Battle of Harlem Heights • Battle of White Plains • Battle of Trenton • Battle of Princeton • Battle of Brandywine • Battle of Germantown • Battle of Monmouth • Siege of Yorktown Quasi-War Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757 – July 12, 1804) was an American statesman and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was an influential interpreter and promoter of the U.S. Constitution, as well as the founder of the nation's financial system, the Federalist Party, the United States Coast Guard, and The New York Post newspaper. As the first Secretary of the Treasury, Hamilton was the main author of the economic policies of the George Washington administration. He took the lead in the funding of the states' debts by the Federal government, as well as the establishment of a national bank, a system of tariffs, and friendly trade relations with Britain. His vision included a strong central government led by a vigorous executive branch,[1]:3–4 a strong commercial economy, with a national bank and support for manufacturing, plus a strong military. This was challenged by Virginia agrarians Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, who formed a rival party, the Democratic-Republican Party. They favored strong states based in rural America and protected by state militias as opposed to a strong national army and navy. They denounced Hamilton as too friendly toward Britain and toward monarchy in general, and too oriented toward cities, business and banking. Hamilton was born out of wedlock in Charlestown, Nevis. His Scottish-born father, James A. Hamilton, was the fourth son of Alexander Hamilton, laird of Grange, Ayrshire.[2] His mother, born Rachel Faucette, was half-British and half-French Huguenot.[1]:8 Orphaned as a child by his mother's death and his father's abandonment, Hamilton was taken in by an older cousin and later by a prosperous merchant family. He was recognized for his intelligence and talent, and sponsored by a group of wealthy local men to travel to New York City to pursue his education. Hamilton attended King's College (now Columbia University), choosing to stay in the Thirteen Colonies to seek his fortune. Discontinuing his studies before graduating when the college closed its doors during British occupation of the city,[3] Hamilton played a major role in the American Revolutionary War. At the start of the war in 1775, he joined a militia company. In early 1776, he raised a provincial artillery company, to which he was appointed captain. He soon became the senior aide to General Washington, the American forces' commander-in-chief. Hamilton was dispatched by Washington on numerous missions to convey plans to his generals. After the war, Hamilton was elected as a representative to the Congress of the Confederation from New York. He resigned to practice law, and founded the Bank of New York. Hamilton was among those dissatisfied with the weak national government. He led the Annapolis Convention, which successfully influenced Congress to issue a call for the Philadelphia Convention in order to create a new constitution. He was an active participant at Philadelphia, and he helped achieve ratification by writing 51 of the 85 installments of The Federalist Papers which, to this day, are the single most important reference for Constitutional interpretation.[4] Hamilton became the leading cabinet member in the new government under President Washington. He was a nationalist who emphasized strong central government and successfully argued that the implied powers of the Constitution provided the legal authority to fund the national debt, assume states' debts, and create the government-backed Bank of the United States. These programs were funded primarily by a tariff on imports, and later also by a highly controversial tax on whiskey. To overcome localism, Hamilton mobilized a nationwide network of friends of the government, especially bankers and businessmen, which became the Federalist Party. A major issue in the emergence of the American two-party system was the Jay Treaty, largely designed by Hamilton in 1794. It established friendly trade relations with Britain, to the chagrin of France and the supporters of the French Revolution. Hamilton played a central role in the Federalist party, which dominated national and state politics until it lost the election of 1800 to Jefferson's Democratic-Republican Party. In 1795, he returned to the practice of law in New York. He tried to control the policies of President Adams (1797–1801). In 1798–99, Hamilton called for mobilization against France after the XYZ Affair and became commander of a new army, which he readied for war. However, the Quasi-War was never officially declared and did not involve army action, though it was hard-fought at sea. In the end, President Adams found a diplomatic solution that avoided a war with France. Hamilton's opposition to Adams' re-election helped cause his defeat in the 1800 election. Jefferson and Aaron Burr tied for the presidency in the electoral college in 1801, and Hamilton helped to defeat Burr, whom he found unprincipled, and to elect Jefferson despite philosophical differences. Hamilton continued his legal and business activities in New York City, and was active in ending the legality of the international slave trade. Vice President Burr ran for governor of New York State in 1804, and Hamilton crusaded against him as unworthy. Burr took offense and challenged him to a duel. Burr mortally wounded Hamilton, who died the next day. Contents [hide] 1	Childhood in the Caribbean 2	Education 3	During the Revolutionary War 3.1	Early military career 3.2	George Washington's staff 3.3	Field command 3.4	Congress of the Confederation 3.5	Congress and the army 3.6	Return to New York 4	Constitution and the Federalist Papers 4.1	Constitutional Convention and ratification of the Constitution 4.2	The Federalist Papers 4.3	Reconciliation between New York and Vermont 5	Secretary of the Treasury 5.1	Report on Public Credit 5.2	Report on a National Bank 5.3	Establishing the U.S. Mint 5.4	Revenue Cutter Service 5.5	Whiskey as tax revenue 5.6	Manufacturing and industry 5.7	Emergence of parties 5.8	Jay Treaty and Britain 5.9	Second Report on Public Credit and resignations from public office 6	Post-Secretary years 6.1	1796 presidential election 6.2	The Reynolds affair scandal 6.3	Quasi-War 6.4	1800 presidential election 6.5	Duel with Burr and death 7	Personal life 7.1	Family 7.2	Hamilton's religion 8	Legacy 8.1	Monuments and memorials 8.2	On slavery 8.3	On economics 8.4	In popular culture 9	See also 10	References 11	Notes 12	Bibliography 12.1	Biographies 12.2	Specialized studies 12.3	Primary sources 13	External links