Hamilton Dies: Treasury Architect Falls to Burr
Aaron Burr challenged him to a duel because Hamilton had called him 'a dangerous man' at a dinner party. They met at Weehawken, New Jersey, on July 11, 1804. Hamilton had already decided not to fire. He told people this beforehand. Whether he fired into the air or simply missed doesn't matter — Burr's shot hit him above the right hip, and Hamilton died the next afternoon. He was 49. The man who had invented America's financial system from nothing, designed the national bank, written 51 of the 85 Federalist Papers, died over an insult at a dinner party.
July 12, 1804
222 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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