FIRST CHARGING LEDGER:
Aaron Burr
(1756-1836)
Biography:
The attorney and statesman Aaron Burr (1756-1836) received a degree in theology from the College of New Jersey, later Princeton University. During the American Revolution he served under General George Washington and General Putnam, attaining his own regiment command as lieutenant colonel at the age of 21. After resigning from the army, he moved to New York City and became a lawyer, sharing a practice with Alexander Hamilton. He served as New York Attorney General, a United States senator and a New York State senator, and helped to organize the Democratic Party. He was also vice-president under Thomas Jefferson.
Historically, Burr is arguably best remembered as the man behind the gun that killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel in 1804. He remained in office, but in 1807 he was charged with treason for attempting to incite a war with Mexico. He was acquitted and left for Europe in 1808, returning to the United States in 1812.
Look For:
Related Link(s):
Mentioned:
- Keep, Austin Baxter. History of the New York Society Library, pp. 212, 267-68, 408
- King, Marion. Books and People: Five Decades of New York's Oldest Library, pp. 249, 279, 308, 333
- Monaghan, Frank. This was New York, the Nation's Capital in 1789, pp. 153
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