Biography: Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton: The Biography

Alexander Hamilton could easily have been a nobody. His birth as the illegitimate son of a Scottish merchant and a woman who had left her husband gave no clue he would one day be one of the most prominent leaders of a revolution, a new nation and a new political party. Yet, Hamilton rose from the lower social strata to become a social and political success.

Alexander Hamilton was on his way to becoming one of the Founding Fathers of America at a time when he could just as easily have spent his days begging for coins; to be an orphan in those days often meant a life of deprivation and loss. Alexander was no stranger to loss, but there was something in the boy that set him apart from his peers. Not only was he a genius, but he also had a fierce commitment to honor that would shape his destiny.

As America’s first Secretary of the Treasury, Hamilton wanted the new country to be faithful in paying its debts in order to improve its reputation in the world. Later, a scandalous love affair threatened to steal the dignity he had worked so hard to achieve. Yet, he still lived nobly for the rest of his days, ending his life in a deadly duel - one last salute to his guiding principle.

Alexander Hamilton: The Biography