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]:34 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. 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, to a married mother of British and
French Huguenot ancestry[1]:89 and a Scottish father. His father, James A. Hamilton, was the
fourth son of laird Alexander Hamilton of Grange, Ayrshire. 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

Discontinuing his studies before graduating when the college closed its doors during British
occupation of the city,[2] 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.[3]

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 (17971801). In 179899, 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 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.
 Masa jabatan
11 September 1789 31 Januari 1795
Presiden George Washington
Didahului
Jabatan dibentuk
oleh
Digantikan
Oliver Wolcott, Jr.
oleh
Perwira Senior Angkatan Darat
Masa jabatan
14 Desember 1799 15 Juni 1800
Presiden John Adams
Didahului
George Washington
oleh
Digantikan
James Wilkinson
oleh
Delegasi Kongres Konfederasi
dari New York
Masa jabatan
3 November 1788 2 Maret 1789
Didahului
Egbert Benson
oleh
Digantikan
Jabatan dihapus
oleh
Masa jabatan
4 November 1782 21 Juni 1783
Didahului
Jabatan dibentuk
oleh
Digantikan
Jabatan dihapus
oleh
Informasi pribadi
11 Januari 1755
Lahir
Charlestown, Nevis, Hindia Barat
12 Juli 1804 (umur 49)
Meninggal
New York City, New York, A.S.
Partai
Federalis
politik
Suami/istriElizabeth Schuyler
Philip, Angelica, Alexander, Jr.,
Anak
James, John, William, Eliza, dan Phil
Kings College, New York (Universitas
Alma mater
Columbia)
Agama Presbiterian, Episkopalian (pindah)
Tanda
tangan

Sejak Perang Saudara Amerika Serikat pecah, Hamilton merupakan tokoh yang paling
banyak muncul di mata uang Amerika Serikat. Wajahnya muncul di $2, $5, $10, $20, $50,
dan $1,000, serta prangko Amerika Serikat tahun 1870. Wajah Hamilton sampai sekarang
masih terbit di prangko dan mata uang A.S., terutama uang kertas $10. Pada tanggal 18 Juni
2015, wajah Hamilton rencananya akan diganti menjadi tokoh perempuan sebagai simbol
perubahan demokrasi dan masyarakat Amerika Serikat, tetapi rencana ini dibatalkan.
Hamilton juga muncul di $500 Series EE Savings Bond. Wajahnya di uang $10 berasal dari
lukisan Hamilton harya John Trumbull tahun 1805 yang saat ini dipamerkan di New York
City Hall.[31]

The first postage stamp to honor Hamilton was issued by the U.S. Post Office in 1870. The
portrayals on the 1870 and 1888 issues are from the same engraved die, which was modeled
after a bust of Hamilton by Italian sculptor Giuseppe Ceracchi.[32] The Hamilton 1870 issue
was the first U.S. postage stamp to honor a Secretary of the Treasury. The three-cent red
commemorative issue, which was released on the 200th anniversary of Hamilton's birth in
1957, includes a rendition of the Federal Hall building, located in New York City.[33] On
March 19, 1956, the United States Postal Service issued the $5 Liberty Issue postage stamp
honoring Hamilton.[34]

1956

Satu-satunya rumah yang pernah dimiliki Hamilton adalah puri bergaya Federal yang
dirancang oleh John McComb Jr. Rumah tersebut dibangun di tanah seluas 32 are di
Hamilton Heights, Upper Manhattan. Rumah yang selesai dibangun tahun 1802 diberi nama
"Grange", nama rumah kakeknya di Ayrshire, Skotlandia. Rumah ini dimiliki keluarga
Hamilton sampai tahun 1833 ketika istrinya menjualnya ke Thomas E. Davis, pengembang
perumahan asal Britania Raya, senilai $25.000.[35] Sebagian hasil penjualannya digunakan
Eliza untuk membeli rumah baru dari Davis (Hamilton-Holly House) di Greenwich Village
bersama putranya, Alexander.[35] Grange, sempat pindah dari tanah awalnya tahun 1889,
dipindahkan lagi pada tahun 2008 ke lahan di St. Nicholas Park yang pernah menjadi bagian
dari tanah Hamilton di Hamilton Heights, Upper Manhattan. Pada tahun 2011, strukturnya
dikembalikan sesuai wujud aslinya tahun 1802[36] dan dikelola oleh National Park Service
dengan nama Hamilton Grange National Memorial.[37][38][39]
Alexander Hamilton menjabat sebagai salah satu pengawas pertama Hamilton-Oneida
Academy di New York. Ketika akademi ini menerima surat izin perguruan tinggi pada tahun
1812, namanya diubah menjadi Hamilton College.[40] Universitas Columbia, alma mater
Hamilton, memiliki tugu peringatan resmi untuk Hamilton di kampusnya di New York City.
Gedung kelas utama jurusan humaniora di Columbia diberi nama Hamilton Hall. Di
depannya terdapat patung Hamilton berkuran besar.[41][42] Columbia University Press telah
menerbitkan tulisan-tulisan Hamilton dalam edisi cetak relief multivolume.[43] Himpunan
mahasiswa Columbia untuk kadet ROTC dan calon perwira Marinir diberi nama Alexander
Hamilton Society.[44]